


Crave

by dimpled_halo



Series: BDSM [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, BDSM, Barebacking, Begging, Biting, Blindfolds, Blow Jobs, Bondage, Bottom Harry, Bottom Louis, Butt Plugs, CEO Louis, Cock Rings, Collars, Coming Untouched, Daddy Kink, Dirty Talk, Dom Louis, Dom/sub, Exhibitionism, Face-Fucking, Feathers & Featherplay, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Hair-pulling, Handcuffs, Happy Ending, Kink Discovery, Kink Exploration, Kink Negotiation, Light Angst, M/M, Multiple Orgasms, Musician Harry, Nipple Clamps, Nipple Play, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Painplay, Panties, Phone Sex, Public Sex, Riding, Rimming, Rope Bondage, Sex Club, Sexting, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Spanking, Spreader Bars, Strangers, Sub Harry, Subdrop, Subspace, Switching, Teasing, Top Harry, Top Louis, mentions of Simon Cowell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-12 04:37:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 89,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12951438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimpled_halo/pseuds/dimpled_halo
Summary: “Hello, I’m Louis Tomlinson, it’s nice to meet you.” There’s a little bit of shakiness to his voice, but Louis is still proud he didn’t lose his cool right then and there.The other man grins, his dimple poking out in the most beautiful way, stretching his own hand out to shake Louis’. It’s warm and inviting, just like Louis remembers the rest of his body being. Louis swallows hard.“I’m Harry Styles. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Tomlinson.” And God. That voice. That deep, deep voice. Louis has to close his eyes for a second before his dick gets hard right in the middle of the conference room. The way Harry says Louis’ name, sort of teasing, like he knows exactly what he’s doing makes Louis want to put him over his lap and give him a good spanking for behaving that way.*All eyes are on Louis Tomlinson to bring new talent to save Hanover Records from the mess the previous executive left behind. His newest artist, Harry Styles, is charismatic and everything Louis needs to revive the label. It’s up to Louis and his team to make Harry the star he was born to be. When Harry and Louis come face to face, it isn’t the first time they’ve met, and their worlds are about to be turned upside down.





	1. You're My Stranger in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go, it's finally here! Whew! It all started with the wonderful pictures we got of Louis on that leather chair smoking a cigarette, when this fic idea came to life. Here we are now, a few months later with the longest fic I've ever written. Wow.
> 
> Anyway, I want to thank Kera even tho you're not in tumblr fandom or read fic anymore you are still super supportive of me and are always there when I talk your ear off about fic. Our brainstorming sessions for this fic has been my favorite thing, and your support means more to me than you know so thank you! I also want to thank my betas Maggie and Molly who are amazing. Tris for reading this all when it was one big mess, for having the patience and being there with your suggestions and just full on support. And KK, for your awesome Brit pick skills.
> 
> The story takes place in the US, but HL are British. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> [Here](https://open.spotify.com/user/1qtphpnzsr5qz27cwkdj6i3w9/playlist/7D4zftsSgpXoKeCOAb5Mjq) is the playlist I put together for the entire fic. 
> 
> And finally, I want to thank the amazing [Kayla](http://styleandsin.tumblr.com/) for the awesome manips. This fic would not be the same without them, and I just really really appreciate your hard work and amazing edits.
> 
> If you're having trouble with the links to the manips, I've compiled them all into a post [here](https://dimpled-halo.tumblr.com/post/170549651093/crave-the-artwork)
> 
> **disclaimer**  
> This is a work of fiction. Anything featured in this fic is part of the fiction and story I have created. In other words, I have no idea how the ins and outs of the music industry work, so I've taken liberties in creating them in a way that I see fit in this story. But that's the beauty of fiction, that we can create it to be whatever we want, isn't it?
> 
> Please don't share this fic with anyone associated with the band...also remember to practice safe sex!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: stranger by Tove Lo

The air is thick with the scent of sex and sweat. It’s not the first time that Louis stumbles upon this club and it probably won’t be the last. It’s just... he’s had this itch that he hasn’t been able to scratch, and he knows that he’ll be able to find what he’s looking for here.

He always does.

A cold shiver runs down his spine from the gust of wind blowing from the aircon. The walls are black, the lighting is dim, and there are people scattered about. There’s soft music playing in the background, but most of it is drowned out by the moans and whines of those experiencing absolute pleasure. Louis hopes to be one of those people soon.

He makes his way to the bar, ordering a Jack and Coke while scanning the room to see if anyone catches his eye. He sees a few familiar faces and others he’s never seen before. There are some that are obviously new to this, which makes Louis smile a bit. He remembers the first time he came here and how nervous he was, and now, he just can’t seem to stay away.

The barman returns with his only drink for the night and Louis takes it gratefully. He takes a sip and savors the taste on his tongue. Now that he’s actually here, it’s like the need he had has only intensified, like a volcano that’s about to burst at any moment.

A flash of light catches Louis’ attention and he turns. There’s a man sitting about three stools away from him. He’s got his phone pointed at his fruity looking drink with a yellow umbrella and another flash goes off as he takes another picture.

Louis can’t stop looking at the way he’s got his lip caught between his teeth trying to frame his picture just right. Louis wants to lick that lip and taste it, he wants to explore that mouth more than anything. It’s so captivating with the way that it glistens and how pink and plump it is. But Louis has a strict no kissing rule when it comes to his one night stands, so he quickly pushes that thought to the side. The man seems to feel Louis’ gaze on him because he startles and his cheeks blush a rosy pink when he smiles.

“Hi,” he says so airly Louis almost misses it.

“Hey,” Louis waves lightly. “What kind of drink have you got there?”

The man’s eyes shift back and forth between Louis and the drink. “Oh… it’s just a Sex on the Beach. Just a little inside joke with myself, since I’m here.” He shrugs his shoulders and chuckles. “It’s stupid, I know.”

Louis laughs too, because he can’t believe how ridiculous and endearing this guy is. He looks around— it doesn’t seem like the man is attached to anyone here.

“Did you come here by yourself?” It’s not often that people come to these things alone, though some nights, like tonight, the club hosts a ‘singles’ night where people who might be seeking a dom or sub can come and meet. Even on those nights, a lot of times Louis has seen people come in little groups or with a friend or two. Louis has come with partners and alone, but he doesn’t feel like he runs into as much danger as a sub would.

Louis is almost positive that the guy right next to him is a sub. It’s because of the way his cheeks pinken every time Louis talks, and the way his head bows down a bit, with his eyes fluttering delicately closed.

The man runs a hand through his curly hair, biting his lip again, and it makes Louis want to reach over and pull it out. It’s making it very hard for him to concentrate with how obscene his mouth is. “Um, no. I came with my friends but they’re a bit occupied right now so I came over here to have a drink.”

At this point Louis is sitting on the stool right next to the guy. He’s close enough to smell his aftershave. Lavender and maybe vanilla? Whatever it is, it’s heavenly and about to push Louis over the edge.

“Did you come to just watch, or were you looking for someone to play with?” Louis hopes, he prays, that he came to play. Because Louis would love nothing more than to see how much of a good boy this guy can be for him. There’s just something about this man, about the way he looks and the way he presents himself that makes Louis want to bend him over his lap and give him a good spanking. Louis bets he would take it so well, too.

The man shrugs. “I came open for anything.” He says it with so much nonchalance that Louis wants to get on his knees and thank whatever god there is for putting this man in his path. Instead, Louis swallows hard, gulping down the rest of his drink. He doesn’t know why, but he has a feeling he’s going to need the extra confidence tonight.

Louis leans in to get closer to the man’s ear. “Are you a dom or a sub?” He can feel the way the guy shivers as soon as the words tumble out of his mouth. This is going to be fun.

“Sub.” The man breathes out.

“What’s your safeword?” Louis looks into the man’s eyes to make sure there is no miscommunication.

The man, of course, bites his damn lip again. Hard. So hard Louis is almost positive it’s going to leave a mark.

“Kiwi.” He says it clear and firm, loud enough for Louis to hear. Good boy.

“Okay. I’ll check in with you every so often but if anything becomes too much, use your word, okay?” Louis caresses the man’s cheek and he leans into the touch like a reflex, closing his eyes. “I need you to say yes or no, please.”

The man opens his eyes again. The green in them has gotten so much darker. “So-sorry. Yes, I understand.”

“Good boy.”

The young man leans into Louis even more, his face nestled in the crook of his neck. Louis instinctively reaches his hand to work his fingers through his hair. It’s short and curly, but soft, like silk, and the man practically purrs against Louis’ ear.

“You like that, baby?” Louis rasps. This man is so pliant, Louis was expecting to work harder to get him how he wanted him, but he’s there already; so soft and open, ready to take anything Louis will give him. It makes Louis’ heart soar like never before.

The young man whines in response. “Yes.” He pulls away a little to get a better look at Louis. “What do I call you?” he asks with hooded eyes.

Louis’ gaze trails down the man’s face and he smiles. “How about you call me Daddy?”

-

Harry’s face flushes and he grins, dimples undoubtedly caved in. “Daddy.” Harry says it softly, testing it out, but the way it sounds rolling off his tongue makes him want to get on his knees right here in the middle of the club. It makes his stomach swoop, the way the man is looking at him with so much adoration Harry finds himself having to look away from his gaze.

“Come on, baby. Let’s go find us a more comfortable place to play,” the man says. He holds Harry’s hand, tugging him along, and he follows easily. Harry’s body is buzzing with anticipation.

They walk down the corridor, passing a few people along the way until they find an empty private room. The man leads Harry inside before locking the door behind him. Harry looks around, taking it all in.

“Take off your clothes and lay down on the bed for me, okay? Don’t touch yourself until I say so,” the man tells Harry, interrupting his thoughts. Harry easily complies, stripping off his skinny jeans and unbuttoning his blouse. The man has his back to Harry, and he feels disappointed that he doesn’t have the man’s undivided attention while he takes his clothes off. He’s also undressing, folding his clothes neatly on the floor against the wall.

Harry sighs, and lays down on the bed facing the ceiling, trying to calm himself down. He’s about two seconds from begging, but he wants to be good.

The man approaches the bed with a tie in his hand and Harry’s breathing becomes heavier. The closer he gets to Harry, the faster his heart beats.

“Such a good boy,” he praises Harry.

As soon as he hears those words, Harry preens. He loves hearing how good he is, and hearing that combined with the sound of the man’s soft, raspy voice, makes Harry’s dick harden. He can feel his face getting warm with all the attention he’s receiving and he loves it.

“Look at me, baby,” the man says. Harry turns to face him, his eyes wide and eager. There’s something about the way he’s been calling him ‘baby’ that just does something to Harry. He’s never been so affected by the pet name, and Harry is going to bask in it for as long as he can.

Harry still can’t believe his luck that he’s found this guy. He’d come with his friends Jeff and Glenne, wanting to see what the club was about. Harry hasn’t been in the scene very long, but he’s loved everything about it so far. So, his friends suggested coming here might help. Harry didn’t really expect anything to come out of it, let alone stumbling upon this wonderful man, but he’s so glad he has.

They haven’t even kissed and Harry already feels like a right mess. The way the man presents himself, with such an air of confidence and power, it makes Harry want to get on his knees for him without question. Harry is surprised he’s lasted this long without completely losing it. He is hanging on by a thread, knowing that at any moment he’s going to go under. But he isn’t afraid, because there’s something about this man that assures Harry he’ll be taken care of.

“Are you here with me?” The man’s voice brings Harry back to focus. His head snaps to where the man is sitting next to Harry on the bed, still holding the silk tie he was wearing just moments ago. Harry hopes this is going where he thinks it’s going.

“Yes.” Harry nods, keeping his eyes on him.

“Good. Now, I don’t normally like to play too hard with someone I’ve just met but I do want to use this to tie your hands together.” He lifts said tie for emphasis. “Is that okay?”

Harry is nodding eagerly before he even finishes talking. “Yes. Please, god, yes.”

The man chuckles, tapping Harry on his chest. “Alright, baby.” He leans over to kiss him on the cheek and Harry wants to turn his face to kiss him on the lips, but he doesn’t because he’s trying to be good. “Hands above your head please.”

Harry does as he’s told, lifting his arms above his head and interlacing his fingers together to make it easier. The guy takes the tie and wraps it around Harry’s wrists. It’s tight, but not too much, just enough for him to not be able to get out of it if he tried.

“Perfect. You still doing good?” His gaze meets Harry’s again.

“Yes.” Harry affirms. He almost wants to whine and tell him to get on with it, but he doesn’t. Harry loves the anticipation building inside of him, not knowing what’s going to happen, what the other man has in store for him. Harry could almost explode with it.

The man stops, crosses his arms and gives Harry a hard look. “Yes, what?” His voice sounds displeased, and it makes Harry squirm under his scrutiny.

Harry scrambles through his mind for a moment before he realizes what he did wrong. “Ye-yes, Daddy.”

As soon as the words leave Harry’s mouth he feels a thrill thrumming throughout his body. His mind goes hazy and everything around him feels warm like he’s laying on top of a cotton cloud, ready for Daddy to take care of him.

 

**XXX**

 

**_1 Week Later_ **

It’s finally Friday, and Louis couldn’t be more relieved. He’s been the CEO of Hanover Records no more than a week and he’s already wondering what the hell he got himself into. The panoramic view of downtown Los Angeles from the floor-to-ceiling windows in his new office is a good distraction from his internal freak out. The sun is bright, the warmth reflecting against his face looking outside, watching below as people go on about their lives to get to wherever they need to be. He suddenly wishes he was one of those people, instead of being stuck here, responsible for the rebranding of the label he’s now in charge of.

“Hey, Louis. You okay?” Niall’s voice startles Louis from his thoughts. He turns to his best friend making his way into his office. “God, I wish I had a view. My office window looks out at the back of the sandwich shop.”

Louis laughs; Niall has always been good at distracting him from himself. “I’m alright. Just admiring the view, haven’t really done much else today, to be honest.”

Niall settles himself onto one of the leather chairs across from Louis’ desk, crossing his arms. “Already slacking on your first week?” He clicks his tongue in disapproval.

Louis rolls his eyes. “Please. I don’t think I could do any worse than Cowell did. I’m pretty sure I got appointed CEO because nobody else wanted to take care of the mess he left behind.” He sits on his own chair. It’s a bit uncomfortable, he’ll have to adjust the settings to fit his height later.

“Don’t say that. I’m sure the board thinks you’re the only one that can bring the label’s reputation back on track. They would have been stupid to entrust anyone else with it,” Niall assures him.

Niall might have a point, but Louis still isn’t ecstatic about it. Six months ago, Simon Cowell— founder and ex-CEO of Hanover Records— was caught in multiple sexual assault accusations that forced him to resign from the label. Not only that, he has become the music industry’s biggest embarrassment, leaving Hanover Records with no CEO, a shitty reputation, and without some of its best artists, who left in the midst of the scandal. There were multiple board meetings about what was going to be done with what was left of the label.

Louis was in a few of those meetings. He was the Vice President of A&R for the label, and had actually been one of the people to report Simon as soon as he caught wind of what he’d been up to. The board appointed Louis as the new CEO, making him one of the youngest label heads in the country. Louis isn’t saying he doesn’t deserve his new title, because he does, but he hates that he feels like he got it more as a default, like the board had no other choice because no one else would touch Hanover Records with a ten foot pole. Either way, Louis accepted the position, on the condition that Niall be appointed A&R Vice President.

The board is giving Louis one year to launch at least one successful artist before they reassess and potentially close the label for good. Louis doesn’t want to let that happen— he’s responsible for most of their acts that have become a commercial success throughout the years. Despite what Cowell has done, Louis wants to try his best to salvage the label.

If it doesn’t work out, he can go elsewhere. But he doesn’t want the label to go down without a fight. Plus, without Cowell around to put any roadblocks on the plans Louis has, he’s confident he can save the label. Louis can do what he wants, without having to run it by his boss, because now he is the boss. It feels great to be the one in charge, even if the position is a bit tainted.

“Anyway, enough about me, how’s your first day coming along?” Louis asks, wanting to move on from his thoughts.

Louis would trust no one else besides Niall Horan to bring in any new artists with potential to save the label… Well, not counting the song parodies Niall likes to send him on a daily basis, though they do give him a good laugh.

Niall brightens up at that, “It’s going really good. I’m catching a Bebe Rexha show. She has a pretty nice following on Twitter, and her mentions are all rave reviews, so I want to check her out.”

Louis perks up. He misses his A&R days, and he wants to try and accompany Niall as much as he can.

“When is it? Maybe I can come with?” he asks.

“Tonight at eight. It’s at Ed’s venue Multiply,” Niall informs him.

Louis tils his head in question, “Multiply? Oh! Is that why there’s a giant ‘X’ on the sign?”

“Duh. It’s a multiplication symbol, get with the program, Tommo,” Niall teases. Louis notices he’s got something in his hands.

“What is that? Another demo we got in the post?” Louis nods toward the item in Niall’s hands.

Niall looks down at it and laughs. “No, no. So I was checking out videos on youtube the other day…”

Louis rolls his eyes. Niall always does this— looking at funny videos and silly things on YouTube, often sending them to Louis for a laugh. Louis will admit they’re pretty hilarious, but a lot of times he’ll trick Louis into thinking he’s found a brilliant artist, when it turns out to be a parody cover of a certain song.

“Let me guess,” Louis interrupts, “You’ve found the next big artist that’s going to save our label who does a hilarious cover of ‘Despacito’ and we should sign immediately.”

Niall grins at that, “Hey that cover was hilarious, don’t try to pretend otherwise. But no, that’s not what I was gonna say. I came across this guy... while watching funny covers of ‘New Rules’, to be fair, when I found this guy Harry Styles. He does covers but also writes his own music. Louis, he’s incredible. He has over a million followers on YouTube. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten signed yet? Anyway, he’s got an EP that he released himself, so I wanted to give it to you so you can have a listen. I know how picky you get about covers, so I figured you might enjoy some of his original songs better.”

Niall slides the CD over to Louis. The cover has a simple pale pink background with “ _Harry Styles_ ” in white letters. Louis turns the cover over to look at the track listing and it has five songs, two of them covers.

“Hmm... alright, I’ll have a listen. Thanks, Niall.”

Niall looks like he’s about to say something else, but then his mobile goes off and he  excuses himself, leaving Louis to his own devices.

Louis takes the CD out of its case and is about to insert it into his computer when he gets called by his assistant, Lauren.

“Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Stringer is on line one. Said he needs to talk to you.” Louis drops the CD on the desk and lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Alright, put him through. Thanks, Lauren.” Louis makes a mental note to listen to the CD later when he won’t have so many interruptions.

-

Louis has never really been inside of Multiply before. He’d always driven by it on his way to work. The places he used to frequent to scout talent were on the other side of town, but whatever works, Louis isn’t about to be picky. Talent is talent, no matter where you find it.

Louis makes his way inside; he’s early but he wanted to check out the place and get a good seat with a good view of the stage. He walks up to the unoccupied bar.

“Good evening, what can I get you started with?” The woman behind the counter is smiling at him with bright blue eyes. She’s got blonde hair wrapped neatly into a bun, and her makeup sparkles against the pub lighting.

“Hi, can I get two pints please?” Louis isn’t sure how much longer Niall will be, but he figures he can save his friend a trip in case the crowd gets bigger later in the evening.

“Sure thing. Coming right up!” The woman moves swiftly to grab the two glasses to fill them to the brim with beer before sliding them across the counter. Louis pays her and places a generous tip into the tip jar that’s provided before thanking her and grabbing the pints, one in each hand.

The place is quaint. There’s a small stage up front with a few wooden tables scattered about. Towards the back there’s more tables and booths, but it’s a bit detached from the front. Louis settles himself at one of the tables that’s close enough to the stage but far enough to keep their distance, where he and Niall might still be able to have a conversation if need be. It’s not long before the crowd begins to trickle in and Niall joins him.

“You been here long?” Niall asks taking his pint.

Louis shakes his head. “Not really.” Before they can get any real conversation going, the lights dim, making the stage lights the only real source of light.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Multiply.” A man with blonde hair appears on stage, “We’ve got a great show for you tonight, so just sit back and relax.”

The first few acts are entertaining. There’s a stand up comedian who at one point picks people from the audience to do funny things. There’s a group of three people who sing a capella covers of songs, which are really good, but not what Louis is looking for the label right now. Every entertainer keeps the audience’s attention though, and it makes Louis wonder if this is a regular thing for them, something they come and do every week for whoever will watch. By the time the third act is done, the crowd has gotten so big, Louis is caught off guard when he takes a look around and there’s people everywhere with hardly any room to wiggle around. Louis wonders if Bebe is next.

Sure enough, a petite curvy woman appears on stage. She’s got short, blonde hair and she’s wearing a black bodysuit with sparkles all over. She has a gold necklace with “Bebe” adorned across her chest.

“Hello, I’m Bebe Rexha, and this is ‘I Got You.’”

The music starts and the colored lights on stage begin to flash to the beat of the music as Bebe starts to sing. It catches Louis’ attention right away, like a Siren’s song, luring the entire audience in with her sultry and melodic voice. He feels caught in a trance as she moves on to the next song. The music is upbeat, and Bebe also has some choreographed moves as much as the small stage will allow. Her stage presence is alluring and commanding, and it feels like she’s on a big stage with the swift movements she makes.

“She’s great isn’t she?” Niall’s voice interrupts Louis’ thoughts.

Louis nods, “Amazing,” he says loudly, over the sound of the music playing in the background.

They stay for the entire set. Niall slaps his arm a few times and they share looks with each other every now and then. It ends too soon for Louis’ liking, and he and Niall stand up to clap after she sings the last song and leaves the stage. The audience is still cheering after she’s gone.

“Wow, that was incredible,” Louis tells Niall as they leave their table. They walk toward the bar.

“We definitely need to get a meeting with her. I’ve got to track her down.” Niall lifts his glass before he takes a sip of his drink.

“You really do. Hey, I’ve got to use the loo,” Louis tells Niall before heading in that direction.

Louis finds it pretty easily and does his business and by the time he returns Niall is gone. Louis wonders if he’s gone to find Bebe’s manager.

Louis decides to forego another drink and instead calls it a night. He’s exhausted and stressed and has been feeling so on edge lately with all the added responsibility of the label, he’s considered revisiting the club he hasn’t had time to visit. Just thinking about the young man he was with last week makes his cock twitch. Louis shakes his thoughts away before he starts sporting a hard on in the middle of a crowded room.

Louis weaves his way through the crowd just as another performer takes the stage. He hears the strings of a guitar start a beautiful melody, and just as he’s about to exit the door he hears it. One of the most angelic, soulful voices Louis has ever heard in his life.

“ _Meet me in the hallway. Meet me in the hallway. I just left your bedroom_ …”

Louis is frozen on the spot. The melody makes every cell in his body tingle. The sound of the voice mixed with the music makes a perfect recipe of heavy and light. The song is so good. Louis feels like he’s experiencing one of those moments that he’ll never forget. That moment he hears a song and falls in love with it, and he just knows that every time he hears it from then on, he’ll always remember how he felt and what he was doing when he heard it for the first time.

Louis turns around to face the stage. The crowd is still as big as ever, and he regrets having left his spot closer to the stage, but he makes due with his spot all the way in the back. The performer is hard to see clearly, but it’s a young man on his guitar being accompanied by a band. Louis wishes he could see him clearer.

It becomes mesmerizing, watching the person perform. Like he’s casting some sort of spell on the entire audience. Everyone around Louis becomes entranced— quiet and almost reverential listening to him sing. When the song ends, Louis feels an empty void inside his soul.

“Good evening, I’m Harry,” Harry drawls. His voice is so deep and syrupy, Louis could listen to him talk for hours on end. “I’ll be singing a couple of more songs for you today. I hope you have a lovely time.”

This time, when the music starts again, it’s upbeat. Louis finds himself bobbing his head along to the rhythm of the music.

“ _She’s got a family in Carolina, so far away but she says I remind her of home_ …”

Harry’s voice doesn’t waver. If anything it sounds even better. Two completely different songs musically and lyrically, but both equally amazing. Louis is having trouble keeping his jaw from dropping to the floor. It’s been a long time since any artist has made him react this way.

By the time Harry gets to the chorus, there’s people jumping and having a genuinely good time. And Harry seems to feed off of it and he smiles as he continues to belt out the words. By the end of the song, the entire crowd is singing along. It’s an amazing thing to witness.

“Louis, oh my god, this guy is so fucking good!” Niall’s voice breaks Louis’ reverie and it makes him jump. He turns to look at his friend and he can’t help the grin on his face.

“Niall, we need him on our label,” Louis says over the noise of the crowd. Niall nods in agreement.

“This is Harry, the guy I was telling you about earlier. Isn’t he amazing? I already spoke to his manager and gave him my card.” Louis recalls his earlier conversation with Niall, and the CD he’d given him. He also remembers how he never got around to listening to it since he got swamped with work after he’d talked to Niall. That’s okay, he thinks. This experience makes it so much better.

Harry performs one more song after that. It’s a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” Louis usually hates most covers, but this one is pure genius. Harry has exceeded all of Louis’ expectations. When the set ends, everyone in the room is clapping and cheering long after Harry leaves the stage. Louis could just picture Harry touring and how well he would do with a bigger audience.

It all makes Louis excited to meet with Harry and see what it would take to get him to sign with them. With Harry and Bebe, Louis feels like they’ll have their label back in good standing in no time.

 

**XXX**

 

Harry’s alarm blares at 7 a.m. on the dot, and he struggles to get out of bed just like he does every time he has to go to his stupid World Civilization class. He trudges over to the shower still half asleep. Thank god it’s Friday and he has a show at Multiply tonight with Bebe. At least there’s something good to look forward to.

When he gets out, he brushes his teeth at the sink and catches a glimpse of the fading bruises along his collarbones. Just remembering that night gives Harry a semi, so he tries to distract himself with something else. Not the gorgeous man that had his way with him and didn’t even ask for his number. Harry isn’t bitter. He really isn’t. With a sigh, he finishes getting ready before he leaves his flat to catch the bus.

His day has been pretty miserable. Not only did it start pouring rain as soon as he stepped outside and he was dripping wet by the time he showed up to class, but then he realized he’d mixed up the days on his calendar and he had a quiz today, _not_ Monday. Harry was going to spend all weekend studying so that he could ace it, but instead he’s probably failed it because he was completely unprepared.

Liam is waiting for him at their regular table in the cafeteria when it’s finally lunch time. Harry places his tray of food down, sits down, and bangs his forehead on the table.

“Bad day?” Liam asks.

Harry just groans. He closes his eyes and tries to shake all the negative energy out of his system. He doesn’t think his day can get any worse, can it? He better not jinx it. He finally sits up and takes a bite of his chip.

“Shit day, Li, and it’s barely noon,” Harry says with a mouthful of sandwich.

Liam looks at him with sympathy before he says. “You have that show tonight, your day is definitely going to be getting better.” His smile is reassuring and it makes Harry glad to have a friend as supportive as Liam.

Harry lets out a long breath. “That’s true. I’m really excited about it.”

“When are you not excited about your shows, though?” Liam counters.

And he’s right. Harry always looks forward to performing at Multiply. He doesn’t go often, maybe about once a month. He likes to pretend that he’s a big, famous artist out on a world tour and that every show is a different city he’s in. The crowd is always different, though there definitely are a handful of regulars. Either way, Harry goes all out every time, putting all of his energy into his performances.

The rest of Harry’s day doesn’t go as badly as the morning and by early afternoon he’s done with classes for the day. On any other day, Harry would be getting ready for his shift at the coffee shop, but he’d already asked for his performance days off in advance. He decides to treat himself to a manicure and pedicure to help himself forget about his dreadful morning. It’s as relaxing as he expected it to be with the massage chairs and the foot rub, and he leaves the place feeling refreshed and ready for tonight’s show.

Harry struggles to find the right outfit, which is a common occurrence every time he has to perform. It’s not like he has much to choose from to begin with, being a struggling uni student and all, but he always wants to establish a certain type of persona when he performs. He started making a bit of extra cash from adding advertisements on his YouTube channel; that’s pretty much the only way he can afford the few designer shirts that he owns. Tonight, he decides on his Gucci ruffled blouse and black skinny jeans. He then goes on to fix up his hair. It’s a lot more manageable since he got it cut the other day, though he’ll admit that he does miss the way his long locks would go wild and all over the place when he performed.

There’s a knock on the bathroom door that startles Harry a bit while he puts some lip balm on.

“You almost ready?” Liam calls from the other side of the door.

Harry takes one last look in the mirror before he opens the door and smiles. “I’m ready.”

The venue isn’t too packed when they arrive. Harry takes his guitar backstage before coming back out to grab a drink. It isn’t long before his bandmates arrive as well. Harry greets them all with hugs. Sarah gets them all a round as more people begin to crowd the place.

“Let’s toast. To a great performance,” Sarah says. It’s become a sort of tradition between them, toasting before every show. Harry isn’t superstitious or anything, but he does feel that it helps keep the energy positive during each performance.

“Cheers!” they all yell over the crowded noise before the clink their glasses and drink.

It’s not long before the host opens the show, greeting the crowd and introducing the first act. Harry takes that as his cue to head backstage and start preparing. He usually likes to meditate and practice the guitar to warm up right before getting called to the stage. It helps calm him and keep his anxiety at bay. He gets lost in the music before he’s joined by his band and Liam lets them know they’ve got five minutes before they’re up.

Bebe pops in, sweaty and out of breath. Harry smiles, “Good show?”

Bebe grins, “Amazing crowd out there tonight. Good luck!”

They high five each other as Harry thanks her and she makes her way out. He feels honored to share the stage with such a talented woman; he’s a big fan of her.

There’s something in the air when Harry finally takes the stage, and he can’t quite put his finger on it. His stomach swoops in excited anticipation as the lights go down and the first song begins. The lights flash a bright purple as he begins to sing. It all flows out of him like muscle memory. These are all songs that he’s written throughout the years, through different stages of his life, and even though he doesn’t have a recording contract or anything, he still wants to get them out there for people to hear. He never knows whose life he’s going to touch with his music and that’s all Harry really cares about.

And just like that, he gives his all. Harry loses himself in his performance. He jumps, he screams, he engages the audience like they’re his long lost friends. The crowd sings along with him and it makes Harry’s heart swell with pride because those are his songs they’re singing back to him. By the end of the show, he’s almost in tears. He isn’t sure why, but there is just something about tonight that is so special and Harry hopes he’ll never forget how he feels right now in this very moment.

They all head backstage where Harry and his band share a group hug. When they go their separate ways, Harry finds Liam.

“Haz, that was a great show,” he tells him before Harry is on him, wrapping his arms around his best friend.

“Thanks, Li.” Liam hugs him and pats him on the back. “Let’s go have some drinks. We need to celebrate.”

They head over to the bar where Harry orders two pints. He drinks his first one so fast, Liam isn’t even halfway through his by the time he’s done.

“I’m thirsty!” Harry explains.

Liam raises his eyebrow. “Obviously.” They laugh before Harry orders another one.

Harry notices Liam has had the biggest grin on his face since Harry ended his show and it hasn’t gone away, even now that they’re on their second drink.

“What’s with you? You haven’t stopped smiling since I got off the stage.”

Liam pulls a card out of his pocket and places it on the counter, sliding it over to Harry. Harry scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, before he takes the card and reads it.

_Niall Horan_   
_Vice President of A &R_ _  
Hanover Records_

Harry looks from the card up to Liam, who is still grinning like a fool. “Uh... Liam. What is this?” Harry’s voice comes out a bit shaky.

Liam takes a gulp of his drink before he sets it down. “So this guy approached me during your set. Said he works for that label.” Liam nods to the card still clutched in Harry’s hand. “Said he really loved your music, and wants to set up a meeting with you.”

Harry’s stomach flips and his jaw nearly falls to the floor. “You’re joking.”

Liam shakes his head. “I swear to you I’m not. He came backstage and asked who represents you, so I said I did.” Liam shrugs.

Harry laughs at that. Harry has always joked that Liam is his manager and should have some business cards just in case. Liam would always brush him off about it, but now it looks like it’s closer to becoming a reality.

“Oh my God!” Harry crashes into Liam jumping up and down and bringing his best friend with him. “Liam, oh my God!”

Liam lets out a boisterous laugh at Harry’s enthusiasm. “Alright, alright. Get off me. You’re still all sweaty and smelly.”

Harry pulls away, but not before giving Liam a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. He waves the bartender over.

“What are you doing? We aren’t even done with our pints yet?” Liam asks.

Harry turns to look at his best friend. “Forget the beers. We’re getting shots. Now we really have something to celebrate.”

-

Harry wakes up the next morning thirsty and with the worst headache. Maybe those shots were a bad idea after all. He groans attempting to untangle himself from the sheets in his bed without tumbling off of it. When he finally manages to do so, he realizes he’s completely naked, so he throws on a pair of briefs before walking out of his room, down the hallway and towards the kitchen to grab several cups of water.

“Good morning!” Liam chirps, and Harry’s hands cradle his head in pain.

“Fuck, Liam, could you not be so loud? How are you not as hungover as I am?” Harry whines finally managing to fetch a cup from the cupboard, filling it to the brim with ice cold water.

Liam shrugs. “I don’t really get hangovers.”

Harry glares at him. “Fuck you.”

Liam grins. “You love me.” That wanker. Harry just scoffs in response. “So what are you up to today then?”

Harry has to pause to think for a moment, still not even sure what day of the week it is. Saturday, it’s Saturday. He takes a gulp of his water before he answers. “Well... I was supposed to be spending my weekend studying for my World Civ quiz, but that turned out to be yesterday so... no plans, really.”

Harry idly considers maybe stopping by a certain club to see if he will run into a certain person he hasn’t been able to get out of his mind. He quickly dismisses those thoughts though because he doubts he’ll ever get that lucky again. Plus, the guy made it pretty clear it was a one off, or else he would have asked Harry for his number. He’s still not bitter, he swears.

“What about you?” Harry asks Liam to distract himself from his thoughts.

Liam looks up from his bowl of cereal with eyebrows raised. “Oh, me? Um... not much... just have a date tonight, but other than that nothing else. So you wanna go to the shops today?” He says it so fast, Harry nearly misses it and he jumps when he realizes what Liam just said.

“You what?” his voice is loud and high pitched and Harry immediately winces because he just made his own headache worse.

Liam is looking down at his bowl nervously. “It’s not a big deal, okay? Just a guy I met last night. He was actually one of the performers. His name is Anton, but his stage name is Zedd.” A shy smile appears on Liam’s lips and Harry is just so endeared by his best friend. Liam hasn’t been on a date in months. He went through a pretty bad break up almost a year ago and he’d been hung up on his ex Zayn for ages. Harry is ecstatic to hear Liam’s actually trying to move on.

“That’s great, Li, I’m so happy for you,” Harry tells him in a much softer voice.

Liam’s smile widens. “It’s just a date. Doesn’t mean I’m ready to marry the guy or anything.”

Harry rolls his eyes. “I know that, but you’re finally letting yourself be happy and that makes me happy, too.”

Liam shrugs again in response.

“So did you really need to go to the shops or were you saying that to distract me from the other thing?” Harry changes the subject wanting to make his roommate less uncomfortable.

Liam’s shoulders seem to relax at that and he nods. “No, I was serious. Wanna go?”

“Yeah, let me just take a shower. I smell like a distillery,” Harry states, sniffing under his armpits.

Liam cringes. “Eww, gross. Go shower, you wanker.”

Harry giggles in response before he kisses his best friend on top of his head and makes his way back to his room to prepare for his shower. His headache is already beginning to fade away.

-

Thankfully, the shops aren’t as crowded as Harry thought it would be for a Saturday, and he and Liam go through every aisle checking off the things on the list Harry compiled for their groceries. Liam thought getting a list was stupid, but Harry reminded him that they always go over their budget when Liam decides to forgo the list, thank you very much. Needless to say, Harry made a list and makes sure to get only the things that are on sale or they have a coupon for. Liam finds it embarrassing, but Harry would like to think that he’d still shop the sales even if he was a millionaire.

They’re in the middle of the produce aisle when Liam’s phone goes off. Harry doesn’t pay much attention to it because he’s busy trying to find the perfect oranges. He’s in the middle of smelling one when Liam distracts him from his task.

“Haz?”

Harry huffs and turns to face his best friend. “What is it?”

Liam’s eyes are wide and he has the biggest grin on his face. “Guess who just called?”

“Was it Anton?”

Liam shakes his head. “What? No. That was Niall Horan! I called him this morning and left him a message and he just called me back. We have a meeting with him and the head of the label on Monday!”

Harry drops the orange he has in his hand and it ends up knocking down part of the oranges display. When he realizes what he just did he frantically bends over to gather as many oranges as possible, but an employee stops him and tells him he’ll take care of it. Harry doesn’t realize his hands are shaking until he feels Liam wrapping his arms around him and whispering reassurances into his ear.

“You’re gonna be great, Harry. They’re gonna meet you and they’re gonna love you and they’re gonna want to sign you. Just you wait,” Liam murmurs into his ear.

Harry relaxes at that and it takes him a few minutes to recover before they just forget whatever else they had to buy from their list and head over to the till to pay. Both Harry and Liam are too excited to continue on with their shopping trip.

 

**XXX**

 

Walking into the office Monday morning, Louis’ shoulders feel a bit more relaxed than they did on Friday. He has a good feeling about the two artists he and Niall saw performing and he can’t wait to meet them in person and get to see if they’re a good fit for the label. He also hasn’t been able to stop listening to Harry’s EP since he left the show on Friday, and it has put him in a much better mood than he was in last week.

Lauren greets him on his way in.

“Good morning, Louis. Niall wanted me to tell you that he booked a meeting with Bebe Rexha at 10 a.m. today and Harry Styles at 1, right after lunch.” She hands him his messages and takes his briefcase.

“Really? Thanks, Lauren. Is Niall in his office?” He goes into his office and powers on his laptop, Lauren right behind him.

“He’s on the phone right now, but I can let him know you want to see him when he’s done,” Lauren tells him.

Louis nods. “That would be great, thanks.”

After Lauren excuses herself from Louis’ office, he spends time checking and responding to emails before he hears a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Louis calls.

Niall enters, making himself comfortable on one of the chairs. “Good morning, Boss.”

Louis looks up from his laptop screen amused. “Good morning, Niall. I heard you have some good news for me.”

Niall grins. “Oh, I do. I spoke to both Bebe and Harry’s managers and they were both very excited to meet with us today.”

Louis feels like a weight has been lifted, hearing the words coming directly out of Niall’s mouth. “That’s great. Did you have Lauren draw up the contracts for them to look over?”

Niall nods. “Already on it. Don’t worry, Boss.”

Louis snorts. “Stop calling me that, it’s weird.”

“But... you are my boss?” Niall raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, so. It’s still weird.”

Niall rolls his eyes. “Whatever, _Louis_.” He stands up. “I’ll let you do your thing. I’ve gotta make sure we have everything ready for our meetings. I’ll see you in a bit!” Louis chuckles at his best friend before he focuses back on his work.

Ten o’clock arrives faster than Louis had expected and before he knows it, Lauren is coming into his office to let him know that Bebe and her manager have arrived and are waiting for him in the conference room. Louis hurries and finishes what he was working on before he grabs his iPad and a few other things and makes his way to the conference room. He finds Bebe, another woman sitting next to her, who Louis assumes is her manager, and Niall. They’re laughing about something when Louis walks in and Niall brightens up when he notices him.

“Good morning,” Louis greets. “I’m Louis Tomlinson, it’s nice to meet you.” He extends his hand to Bebe.

Bebe introduces herself and her manager Kristine before they exchange a few more pleasantries and get the meeting started.

Louis presents Bebe with the recording contract, explaining the ins and outs. He gives her a copy and informs her that she can take time to look at it and discuss it with her lawyer. Bebe looks happy, excited even, and promises she will look things over and get back to them as soon as she’s reached a decision. They shake hands before Bebe and her manager excuse themselves.

Louis lets out a breath and his shoulders relax. He feels good about how everything went and only hopes that their next meeting with Harry goes just as well.

“Wow, that went really well,” Niall’s voice interrupts Louis’ thoughts. Louis turns to look at his best friend who looks just as happy as Louis feels.

“Yeah,” Louis agrees. He checks the time and realizes it’s close to lunchtime. “You wanna go out to lunch? I want to be back with plenty of time before our next meeting.”

Louis and Niall decide to go for sushi and they sit down and talk about their weekends. Louis leaves out the part about him going to a certain club, hoping to find a certain long-haired, green-eyed boy. There was no sign of him and Louis would be lying if he didn’t say he was disappointed. He just ended up giving up and going home. They eventually finish their lunch and head back to the office.

Louis’ stomach stirs nervously in anticipation for their next meeting. He loves Bebe, but he admits that he’s more excited to meet Harry and get to work with him on his music. Louis only hopes that Harry will like them and will want to sign with them as well.

When Niall and Louis arrive back at the office, Lauren lets them know that Harry and his manager are already waiting for them in the conference room.

“Shit, they’re early,” Louis hisses. He motions for Niall to go before him. “Go ahead without me, I’ve gotta use the loo.”

This is what Louis was trying to prevent and why he wanted to come back with plenty of time to spare, but he didn’t count on the fact that Harry would arrive early. Louis hopes it’s a good sign. He uses the bathroom and washes his hands, splashing some cold water on his face. Louis knew that taking the CEO position wouldn’t be easy, but it’s still taking some time to get used to. Louis wonders if he ever will. He grabs a paper towel and dries off before finally heading back to the conference room where the others are.

Louis bursts into the conference room. “So sorry I kept you all waiting,” he instantly apologizes when he enters.

When he looks up to begin introducing himself he freezes. Sitting at the conference table with Niall and another man Louis has never seen, is none other than the man Louis hasn’t been able to stop thinking about since he laid eyes on him over a week ago. The man with the softest skin Louis’ lips have ever touched with the softest, breathiest moans that Louis still hears in his dreams. His lips look just as sinful as he remembers. His hair is shorter since the last time Louis saw him and he’s wearing a shirt that is showing half of his chest, making Louis want to leave marks on it all over again. He takes a quick moment to compose himself, clearing his throat and straightening his suit jacket before he gets it together.

He extends a hand out to the gorgeous man and smiles. “Hello, I’m Louis Tomlinson, it’s nice to meet you.” There’s a little bit of shakiness to his voice, but Louis is still proud that he didn’t lose his cool right then and there.

The other man grins, his dimple poking out in the most beautiful way, stretching his own hand out to shake Louis’. It’s warm and inviting, just like Louis remembers the rest of his body being. Louis swallows hard.

“I’m Harry Styles. Nice to meet you too, Mr. Tomlinson.” And God. That voice. That deep, deep voice. Louis has to close his eyes for a second so his dick won’t get hard right in the middle of the conference room. The way Harry says Louis’ name, sort of teasing, like he knows exactly what he’s doing makes Louis want to put him over his lap and give him a good spanking for behaving that way.

“Louis?” Niall’s voice breaks the stupor he and Harry had fallen into. They both jump at the sound of Niall’s voice and time seems to go back to normal instead of the slow motion daze they’d gotten caught up in.

“Yeah?” Louis fiddles with his tie, tightening it around his neck.

“This is Liam Payne, Harry’s manager.” Niall informs him. And, right, there was another man sitting next to Harry.

“Right, right. Sorry, hi, Liam. It’s nice to meet you.” Louis shakes Liam’s hand, and the other man smiles.

“Likewise, sir.” Liam says.

Louis finds his own seat next to Niall. “Please, none of that sir or Mr. Tomlinson. Call me Louis,” He insists, trying his best to avoid Harry’s gaze. Louis can feel Harry’s eyes lingering and he doesn’t want to even glance his way, knowing all too well that he’ll lose focus again, and he’s got a meeting to get through. Lord help him.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis Tomlinson. His name is Louis Tomlinson and he’s sitting right across from Harry at this very moment. Harry can’t believe his eyes. Louis is even more gorgeous than Harry remembers and he can’t look away. Harry knows he’s being obvious but he doesn’t really care because he’s been thinking about this man for days, hasn’t been able to keep him out of his mind. He’s been the source of several wanking fantasies and Harry just can’t believe that he’s stumbled upon him again.

Louis is the CEO of Hanover Records. He wants to sign Harry and make him a successful artist and, well. That changes a lot of things, doesn’t it?

Harry is nothing but professional when it comes to his career, but having Louis being his boss, the person responsible for putting Harry’s music out there. That’s going to be difficult. He’s going to have to kiss any chance of reliving that night with Louis again goodbye. Just the thought of it makes Harry’s stomach sink. Having Louis around and not being able to touch him, to be good for him. God.

Harry is grateful for the opportunity that has presented itself but why did it have to come with Louis Tomlinson served to him on a silver platter? It’s like giving a starving man the meal he’s been dreaming of and then snatching it away, telling him he can’t have it. It’s a cruel joke from the universe, is what it is.

The meeting has long begun and Harry wouldn’t be able to say what’s going on. There’s some talk about contracts and things. Liam is doing a lot of talking, too. Bless him and his knowledge of these things because Harry is completely useless at the moment. All he’s able to focus on is Louis’ ocean blue eyes, the way he’s actively trying to avoid Harry’s stare. Harry doesn’t mean to make Louis uncomfortable at all but he just can’t keep his eyes away. He tries, looking down at his own copy of the contract and for a moment he’s successful until he finds himself staring at Louis again. At one point Harry can’t even bring himself to care that he’s being obvious. Louis’ cheeks pinken up and it’s the loveliest shade.

“Harry?” Liam’s voice shakes him out of his Louis-filled haze and he tries his best not to pout at that.

“Sorry, what was that?” Harry asks Liam. His voice is a bit husky and he clears his throat.

“Did you have any questions for Niall or Louis?” Liam seems to repeat himself, his eyes hardening in annoyance at Harry. Whoops.

“Oh... no, I’m good,” Harry assures him. The questions Harry has wouldn’t be appropriate to ask, anyway, he thinks.

Niall claps his hands together. “Alright, well, take the contract with you and review it. Feel free to consult with your lawyer. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.”

They all stand up, Harry is thankful he didn’t get hard spending most of the meeting gawking at Louis. He shakes Niall’s hand and when he gets to Louis, he pauses.

“Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Tomlinson,” Harry says knowing full well he had insisted they call him Louis. But there’s something inside of him that wants to get Louis’ attention in some way and the only thing he can think to do is to be a little bad. “It really means a lot to me,” he continues. His eyes meet Louis’ and Harry wants to convey everything he can’t say out loud. About how he’s been a constant in Harry’s mind and how he can’t stop reliving all of the things they did that night.

Louis straightens up before saying, “I told you to call me Louis.” His voice is more authoritative, though not as much as it was that night. It still sends a thrill through Harry, one that will not make him responsible for his actions if he doesn’t leave right now. Louis’ Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows before smiling. “It’s a pleasure to have you here, Harry.” His voice is a lot lighter, like a switch inside of him flipped. And, God. Harry could bathe in Louis’ voice from here until eternity. He could bask in the way it makes him feel warm and so, so good.

Harry takes a deep breath before he returns the smile and nods before making his way out of the door with Liam. As they leave the Hanover Records offices, Harry’s shoulders relax feeling like he can finally breathe again. This is going to be interesting and Harry isn’t sure if that’s a good thing or not.


	2. I Crave You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Crave by Tove Lo

When Harry shows up for their follow up meeting, he’s determined to act professional and show Louis that he is willing to put their little history behind them. Now that he’s decided to sign with the label, it’s important to him that Louis knows he isn’t going to be bringing up their night together. As much as Harry would love to relive that moment, he knows that it’s better for both of them if they just put it in the past and move forward. So that’s what he’s willing to do. Harry walks into Hanover Records with an air of confidence, greeting Lauren as soon as the lift doors open.

“Good morning, we’re here to see Mr. Tomlinson,” Liam announces when they arrive at Lauren’s desk.

Lauren smiles warmly at them, “He’s already in the conference room waiting for you. Right this way.”

Both Liam and Harry thank her, and they follow her into the same room where they met with Niall and Louis the other day. Louis is talking to Niall and when he sees Liam and Harry approaching, he freezes.

“Good morning,” Harry greets, breaking the silence that suddenly took over the room.

“Good morning,” Niall returns, Louis nods politely with a tight smile. Harry doesn’t let himself overthink Louis’ reaction. Instead, he takes a seat next to Liam across from Louis and Niall.

Niall claps his hands together. “I hope you have good news for us,” he says excitedly.

Liam and Harry look at each other, before Harry grins, “I’ve decided to accept your offer.”

Louis and Niall exchange ecstatic glances, beaming at each other. “That’s great news,” Louis finally speaks up. His voice makes sparks go off all over Harry’s body, and he hates that he’s so affected by him. Harry tries to shake it off and focus on the task at hand.

They spend a lot of time going over everything until it’s finally time for Harry to sign on the dotted line.

“Welcome to the Hanover Records family,” Niall announces.

Louis slaps him in the arm, “Oh, Niall, don’t be such a sap,” he teases, making everyone else laugh.

“Well, I’m starving. That meeting took a lot out of me. Why don’t we go grab a bite to eat together to celebrate?” Niall suggests.

Harry doesn’t miss the way that Louis’ face drops and his eyes nervously shift to the floor. Harry tries not to be hurt by that.

“Oh, I’d love to, but I’ve got a big project that I’m working on for class. I should get going actually,” Liam laments.

“Don’t worry. We’ll do a rain check, then,” Niall says.

“Yeah, sounds good. Thanks for the invite, though,” Harry tells him.

When they say their goodbyes, Louis avoids Harry’s gaze, and he tries not to take it personally. Before he and Liam get to the lifts, Harry excuses himself to use the loo. He washes his hands and grabs a paper towel when he hears someone else walk in. Louis pauses as soon as he notices Harry.

Harry flashes a small smile. “Hello.”

Louis looks like he doesn’t know what to do. His eyes scan the room and he briefly meets Harry’s gaze before he looks away again. “Hey.”

Louis enters a stall and does his business and Harry feels like a creep waiting for him to come out but he feels like they need to have a conversation. Harry needs Louis to know that they can start over without having things be so awkward between them.

When Louis comes out and washes his hands, he doesn’t look at Harry, making Harry want to just grab him and shake him so that he can just look at him for a few seconds to say what he needs to say.

“Louis, can I say something?” Harry finally says when Louis throws his paper towel away.

Louis reluctantly looks at Harry. “I’m sorry, I have a conference call that is about to start. But next time, okay?”

Before Harry can respond, Louis is already rushing out the door, leaving Harry staring at his retreating figure. Harry feels the confidence he had when he first walked in drain out of him. If this is how it’s going to be between them, it’s going to be a pretty dreadful time at Hanover Records.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis’ muscles ache in the best way while he continues pushing through.

“Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… come on, Louis, you can do it, you’re almost there.” Eric, his trainer, urges. “Twenty... five more, come on!”

Louis grunts, feeling the sweat trickling from his hair down his face. Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four... the last push-up feels like the worst one somehow but when he finishes, he drops onto the gym floor and just lays there, panting and trying to catch his breath.

“That was great, Louis!”

Eric’s voice is piercing in his ear. He groans, weakly reaching over for his bottled water, gulping it down in record speed. “I hate you so much right now.”

Eric laughs as if Louis is joking. He really isn’t. “You may hate me but I’m still getting paid for it.” He flashes a smug grin. Louis just rolls his eyes.

When Louis is finally able to breathe again, he stands up and hops on the treadmill.

“How do you feel about doing some boxing today?” Eric asks, standing by the treadmill next to Louis.

“Sounds good,” Louis affirms.

Louis punches out the stresses he’s had to deal with this week into the punching bag. Most of Louis’ stress pertains to Harry Styles and his beautiful face. And his arse, and the fact that Louis can’t fucking touch him. He can’t.

Louis punches the bag harder.

He’s been avoiding being stuck alone with Harry for days. He just can’t be left to his own devices with that man because Louis doesn’t know what he’ll do. It’s like Harry has some sort of intuition when it comes to Louis and they always seem to be running into each other, but like the coward that he is, he always makes up some sort of excuse about having to be somewhere before he gets stuck being alone with him. He just needs to find a better way to deal with being alone with him before it gets to be too much. Before others start noticing Louis’ strange behavior, too.

Thankfully, Niall hasn’t seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. He’s been just as busy as Louis. Both Bebe and Harry have decided to go ahead and sign with Hanover Records, which threw them into meetings upon meetings with lawyers, the managers, and the artists. Things were discussed in full, so much so that Louis never wants to see a recording contract ever again. Bebe and Harry signed their contracts and now they’re official recording artists. Louis wishes he could say he can now breathe easily, but it’s only the beginning.

Louis and Niall have decided to each take on one artist. Louis had requested to work with Harry before he even knew who Harry was and, unfortunately, there’s no going back. Especially because Niall seems very excited to be working with Bebe and her team. Louis went ahead and scheduled a meeting with Harry and Liam so they can meet with Zayn, their head of PR, and other important people they’ll be seeing on a more regular basis. Louis has a list of producers he wants to contact to determine who is best fit to work with Harry. He wants to also meet with Harry to discuss his vision for his debut album so they can go from there and narrow down their choices.

“Louis, are you okay?” Eric interrupts all of Louis’ frazzled thoughts and he realizes he’s been punching the bag really hard. So hard, he’s gotten bruises on his knuckles.

Louis looks down at his fists, noticing a bit of blood on one knuckle before he looks up at Eric. “I’m good,” He assures him, catching his breath once again.

“You’ve seemed pretty off today. Are you sure?” Eric sounds concerned and Louis hates that he’s the cause of that.

“Yeah, just a lot of stress at work,” Louis explains. “We just signed a couple of new artists so it’s been a lot.”

Eric nods in understanding. “Alright then. How about we call it a day? I suggest you take a nice long bath, maybe soak in some ice water to help your muscles or else you’re not gonna be able to move at all tomorrow. You really worked hard today.”

Louis puts his arm around his trainer’s shoulders to give him a side-hug. “Thanks, Eric. Sorry for being such a nuisance.”

They both laugh before Louis grabs his stuff and excuses himself to the showers. If he doesn’t get his shit together soon, there’s not going to be a record label to get stressed about.

-

Louis closes his eyes, letting the melody he’s had stuck in his head play out as his fingers press onto the keys of the piano. It’s a soft sound but it builds and builds and Louis finds himself getting lost in the music. He loves mornings like this, alone in his house, just out of bed with a new idea, letting it pour out, getting it out of his system. It’s cathartic, relaxing, better than the relief he got from smoking which he quit just a few months ago. He’s been tempted to pick up the old habit again, since his new position has brought a lot of stress with it, but instead, he lays it out on the piano.

Louis has always enjoyed writing music, since he was young. He never really did anything with it and he found that he preferred working behind the scenes a lot more than performing. But he still writes from time to time as an outlet and it beats reverting to the unhealthy habit he used to have.

He continues playing, feeling the warmth of the sun against his face and when he hits the last note, it echoes throughout the room like an afterthought. Louis smiles to himself.

[manip](https://imgur.com/MM2gzwA)

He lets the silence linger for a while longer before he checks the time. He’s supposed to be meeting with his friend Steve for lunch before they head to his studio so Louis can hear his album that’s supposed to be released in a few weeks. Steve and Louis go way back, when they met in uni and Steve used to play shows all around London. They would always bump into each other, easily becoming friends and sharing a passion for music. Steve started his own record label where he began releasing his own music until he gained a good amount of recognition. Now, he’s one of the most popular artists in the EDM community, about to release his third album. Louis couldn’t be more proud. Steve is refusing to release his newest endeavor until Louis listens to it and gives him feedback, which Louis feels honored to do.

Louis takes a quick shower, decides to go for a comfortable casual look, putting on some sweatpants and his favorite jumper and throwing on a beanie over his head, feeling too lazy to do anything with his hair. He drives over to the restaurant he’d agreed to meet Steve at. It’s a small hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant that Steve swears has the best tamales in the city. Louis finds a parking spot and finds the restaurant pretty packed with people. Luckily, Steve is already there and when he notices Louis has arrived, his face brightens waving him over to the small table he’s at in the far corner of the room.

Steve stands up as Louis approaches the table and they hug each other in greeting. “Hey, mate, good to see you,” Louis greets.

“Hey, bro. Look at you! You look great. Letting the facial hair grow out, I see,” Steve says as they both take their seats. The waitress comes by to take their drink orders before she promises to return to take their food orders.

Louis shrugs. “I’ve been too lazy to shave, so.”

The waitress comes back a few minutes later and they both order more tamales than they’ll probably eat but if they’re really as good as Steve claims, Louis is sure he’ll be taking the leftovers home with him.

“So how’s the label going?” Steve asks, munching on one of the tortilla chips they were provided as an appetizer.

Louis takes a sip of his fruit punch Jarritos beverage before answering. “It’s... I mean, it’s more difficult than I thought it would be, to be honest, but I think I just need some time to adjust,” He admits.

“Yeah, I’m sure you will. It’s a lot of work for sure, but it’s great.”

Louis scoffs. “You say that only because you never sleep. I, on the other hand, really treasure my sleep and like to get a few decent hours of it.”

They both laugh at that. “Okay, you got me there, bro. But seriously, you’re gonna be okay.”

Louis smiles. “Thanks, man.” It helps to hear that from a sort of outsider because Louis has had some reservations about his ability to rebrand the label.

The waitress comes with their food and they immediately tuck into it. Steve was right, the tamales are to die for.

“What about you, though? How’s your label doing?” Louis asks after taking a few bites of his food.

“It’s good. We just signed a new act, Zedd. He’s amazing. Can’t wait to bring him on tour with me, he’s a really talented dude,” Steve tells him.

“Zedd? Hmm, sounds interesting. I’m excited to listen to your new album, though.”

That prompts Steve to talk about the writing and producing and the different artists he’s collaborating with. Louis can hear the excitement in his voice while he explains and it makes him giddy to listen to what his friend has created.

“Enough about me, though. How’s the fam? I saw your sister is on tour with Dua Lipa.”

Louis can’t help the proud grin on his face at that because he’s so fucking amazed at his sister. “Yeah, she’s also working on a makeup book. She’s really excited about it. I couldn’t be more proud.”

“You dating anyone?” Steve asks. He says it so nonchalantly but it still makes Louis pause.

“Um. No, no dating for me at the moment,” he finally manages to say.

Steve’s eyebrow raises curiously. “You hesitated there for a moment... Are you lying?” He asks teasingly.

Louis rolls his eyes. “I’m not lying. I’m really not seeing anyone.” As much as he would love to be seeing Harry, he would like to say but he doesn’t. Because Harry is completely off limits and Louis needs to remind himself that every moment of every day, ingrain it into his brain so that he doesn’t fuck anything up because that’s the last thing he needs.

Steve looks like he still doesn’t really believe him but he changes the subject anyway. Louis lets out a relieved sigh, taking a sip of his Jarritos.

 

**XXX**

 

Harry looks at the time and realizes he’s over an hour early. Louis had set up a meeting for Harry and Liam to meet the rest of the team he’ll be working with and make plans for where to go from there. Harry knew he would end up here early when he decided to take the bus down after his Econ class but he just really needs to talk to Louis. Alone. When Liam told Harry he would meet him there because he had a group project, Harry thought it would be the best opportunity to get Louis by himself.

It’s been weeks since the show that changed his life forever and Harry still hasn’t gotten an opportunity to talk to Louis about that night. Well, not necessarily about that night but Harry just wants to let Louis know that he’s willing to put it in the past and keep things strictly professional between them. Every time he has tried to do just that, Louis is always with Niall or he quickly comes up with some type of excuse about having to be somewhere before Harry can get a word out. It has been frustrating as all hell but today Harry is determined to get Louis alone so that they can finally put everything behind them.

With a deep breath, he enters through the glass doors of Hanover Records. He greets the receptionist before heading over to the second floor where Louis’ office is. Lauren isn’t at her desk, probably out for lunch, which makes Harry relieved he doesn’t have to explain why he’s here so early. He panics for a moment, wondering if Louis went out to lunch, too, but as he walks by the conference room, he finds Louis there sitting comfortably eating a sandwich and crisps. He seems to be working while he eats, scrolling through his iPad. Louis’ got a small wrinkle between his eyebrows, concentrating hard on whatever it is he’s reading, while occasionally taking a bite of his sandwich. He looks so relaxed and carefree, Harry almost feels bad that he’s about to interrupt such a serene atmosphere but he needs to get this off his chest in order for him and Louis to get past whatever awkwardness has settled between them.

Harry inhales deeply before lifting his hand to knock. “Hello.” He says it softly as to not startle Louis but it seems futile because Louis jumps, dropping his sandwich on the table, his eyes going wide. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt your lunch but can I have a word with you?” Harry’s stomach is churning nervously, his heart rate picking up as soon as Louis’ eyes are on him and he tries to remember to keep breathing.

Louis looks him up and down before nodding. “Yeah. Sure, sure.” He squirms in his seat, moving around before sitting up straight. “Have a seat.” He gestures to one of the chairs near him.

Harry nods, making his way inside, trying his best not to trip on air like he’s done so many times in the past. The last thing he needs to do is make this more uncomfortable for the both of them. He sits on the chair and folds his hands on top of the table to keep himself from fidgeting like he always does when he’s nervous. He clears his throat.

“Um, so I just wanted to talk about…” Harry clears his throat again. He wishes he would have brought some water or something because suddenly his throat feels so dry. “I just... I wanted to...” Fuck, why is he suddenly forgetting everything he had planned to say? Louis’ gaze is burning into him and it’s making his mind go blank. He takes another deep breath before he starts again. “I just wanted to let you know that I... that night, I’m willing to put it all in the past. We can start over, you know? I just... I don’t want there to be any awkwardness between us.” He lets out a breath, feeling relieved that the words are finally out there for Louis to hear.

Louis, on the other hand, seems to be stunned into silence. His eyes are no longer on Harry, instead they’re on the iPad on the table, before he looks up again. “Yeah. That sounds like a good plan, Harry.” Then, a small smile appears on his face and if Harry were standing, he swears his knees would go weak.

“And also... I’m sorry for avoiding you for a bit there. I just didn’t really know how to act around you,” Louis admits.

Harry is grateful for his honesty. “Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to be working for you so I’m glad we’ve cleared the air.” Harry stands up, his legs feel a bit wobbly, and he wonders if this is something he’s just going to have to get used to because it seems to happen every time he’s around Louis. He makes a move to leave before Louis stops him.

“Harry, wait.”

Harry turns to look at Louis and his eyes are warm. “Why don’t you stay until the meeting? I was just going over some things for it. Do you want me to have Lauren get you something to eat?”

And just like that, the awkwardness between them fades away like a cloud of smoke disappearing into thin air.

Harry grins. “I’d love that, thanks.”

Harry and Louis chat and go over some of the things that will be talked about in the meeting while Harry eats his lunch. Liam shows up about half an hour later, just as Louis has to excuse himself to take a phone call.

Liam sits next to Harry. He’s got a brightness to him Harry can’t quite describe. He looks genuinely happy and Harry can’t help but wonder if it’s the doing of Anton, the guy Liam’s been seeing. As far as Harry knows, Liam and Anton have gone on a few dates, but have yet to make anything official.

“What are you so happy about?” Harry finally gives in to ask his best friend.

Liam takes out his laptop from his messenger bag and places it on the table. “What? Why do you ask that?”

Harry crosses his arms. “I haven’t seen you this happy in months. You look like you’re getting laid on the regular. Is that what it is?” As far as Harry can tell, he hasn’t even met Anton, let alone seen him around the flat. Though, Liam has been more MIA than usual, which can only mean he’s been disappearing with Anton to who knows where.

Liam’s face reddens and Harry giggles. “Oh my God!” Harry slaps Liam’s arm. “Liam, you sly little minx, you!”

Liam shushes Harry, slapping him back. “Will you shut up!” Liam looks over to make sure no one heard him. “Yes, I’m getting laid. And before you ask, yes. Anton and I are officially together.” Liam smiles and Harry puts his arm around his best friend.

“Oh, Li Li!” Harry kisses him on the cheek. “I’m so happy for you, love. Please, don’t ever feel embarrassed. I’m actually jealous. I wish I were getting it on the reg.” He wishes Louis was the reason Harry was getting sex regularly but he doesn’t say that out loud.

Liam’s shoulders relax at that and and he laughs. “Thanks, Haz. I am happy, you know? Things are going really well with him.”

Before they can talk any more about Liam and his new relationship, they’re interrupted by Niall and Louis who join them in the conference room. They exchange pleasantries before they all take a seat. They’re later joined by some other people Harry has never seen before but Harry is sure he’s about to find out who they are.

Harry checks the time and the meeting is supposed to start any minute. He looks over at Louis who seems to also be checking the time and looking around the room. Someone else must be missing. Louis turns to look at Niall and whispers into his ear and Niall shrugs before he leaves the room.

“Sorry everyone, we’re just waiting for one more person to join us,” Louis confirms Harry’s suspicions. “Zayn, there you are. What’s with the hold up?”

As soon as Harry hears that name, he freezes. He can feel Liam stiffen next to him as well. Harry looks up and, sure enough, the person Louis is talking to is none other than Zayn Malik, Liam’s ex boyfriend. Fuck.

Harry pats Liam’s leg under the table, hoping to be somewhat comforting. He can only imagine how he’s feeling right now. Harry chances a glance at him and he’s staring at his laptop, eyes looking a bit shiny. Harry squeezes his best friend’s leg again.

“Alright, let’s get started,” Louis begins, shaking Harry from his stupor.

Harry can feel Liam relax a little under his touch, which is good. And the meeting continues. They get loaded with information about _everything_. Harry is introduced to the team of people he’ll be working with including the Creative Director who will be in charge of his image, the Social Media Manager, and Zayn who is the PR and Marketing Manager.

Each of them get a chance to talk about plans they have in mind to launch Harry and expose him to the public. It’s a lot to take in and Harry is grateful that Liam is taking notes because he’s sure he’s going to forget half of the stuff he’s being told. More meetings are set up individually with these people to solidify their plans as soon as possible. They want to start teasing the public about Harry and what’s to come. Louis wants Harry in the studio right away to start recording some songs they can start releasing on his social media to grab the public’s attention and get them excited.

Harry finds himself transfixed by everything Louis says. The sound of his voice, the color of his eyes, the scruff on his chin and the way it’s sprinkled with a few grays. Liam nudges him to get his attention and it takes everything in him not to pout that he was interrupted. When he looks up, he notices Zayn gazing at Liam, his face serious. Harry wonders what that’s all about.

What Harry remembers is that Zayn ended his relationship with Liam, wanting to focus on his career. Zayn’s father is the owner of the PR Company he works for and according to him, he couldn’t afford any distractions, especially if he was going to take over his father’s business. It was heartbreaking to see the aftermath of all of that. Lots of nights when Harry tried his best to help Liam feel better by providing junk food and chick flicks, getting him to go out when he didn’t really want to. It took a lot of time and effort but eventually Liam slowly began to heal. Harry hopes that this encounter doesn’t set things back for Liam, especially now that he and Anton have just made their relationship official. Harry pats Liam’s arm comfortingly before he tries to focus back on what Louis is saying.

The meeting ends and everyone goes their separate ways. Harry sticks around to wait for Liam in case he runs into any awkward encounters with Zayn and be there for support. Louis and Niall are saying something to each other when Zayn approaches them.

“Hey, Liam. Hey, Harry,” Zayn greets them. He has a tentative smile on his face, probably trying to tread carefully around Liam. Liam is putting his laptop and things away, barely acknowledging his ex-boyfriend.

“Hey, Zayn,” Harry steps in after a few beats of silence. “This is…an interesting surprise.” He’s not really sure what else to say. He’s pretty much just giving Liam time to collect himself.

That doesn’t really end up being the case when Liam finally looks at Zayn with hard eyes and says, “Excuse me, but I have to go. I’ve got a class that I can’t miss if I want to graduate this semester.” He straps his messenger bag to his chest and storms out of the conference room, not even giving Harry any time to realize what is happening.

Harry and Zayn remain where they are, stunned for a moment before Zayn runs a hand through his hair. Harry thinks he notices a sort of sadness to Zayn’s eyes but it disappears when he smiles softly.

“It was good to see you,” he says, patting Harry on the shoulder before excusing himself and turning around to walk out of the room. Harry’s eyes follow his movements until he’s completely out of sight.

“What was that all about?” Louis startles Harry while he watches Zayn leave, Niall following after him.

And, shit, Louis is addressing him. He’s not used to that so Harry shakes himself out of his thoughts before he lets out a long breath.

“That’s a whole lot of drama. I’m not sure... I'm not sure how much I can tell you?" Harry hears his voice and it's a little shaky and he feels his cheeks grow pink under Louis' scrutiny.

Louis crosses his arms and stares at him, his biceps flexing through his shirtsleeves and his bright blue eyes slightly narrowed and confused. “Drama? Already?”

Harry chuckles, licking his lips. He catches Louis staring at him. He wonders if Louis sees any parallels to their situation and Zayn and Liam's. “Yeah, well... there’s a sort of history between my manager and your PR Manager.” He wants to add "like you and I" but he doesn't, thinking better of it, not wanting to push his luck.

“Is that so? Is it going to cause problems?" Louis' voice is teasing adding, "Am I gonna have to sit down with them and have a conversation? Maybe dole out a little punishment?”

“Oh, yeah, I remember you’re into the whole,” Harry waves his hands around, “punishment thing.” And fuck. He sputters, feels his pulse quicken, and gives a weak shrug. “I-I mean... Wh-Who knows." He swallows thickly, shifting from foot to foot. Something about the way Louis is watching him makes him feel all twitchy, almost nervous, but he likes it. "I think there’s still some bitterness between them? I can... I’ll talk to Liam.” He looks up at Louis and sees the way his eyes sparkle watching Harry.

Louis hums in response, giving Harry a short nod. Harry feels like crawling under the table or simply dropping to his knees for Louis. What has gotten into him?

-

After getting stuck in a packed bus full of people, Harry finally makes it home. He was hoping to catch Liam on his way but his best friend is a lot faster and Harry has no clue where he might have disappeared to. When Harry unlocks their rickety apartment door, he spots Liam’s shoes by the entrance.

“Liam?”

Harry places his keys on the hook behind their door, taking off his own shoes after making sure their door is locked. He doesn’t hear a response from his best friend so he tries calling out for him again checking the kitchen and living room with no luck. He opens his bedroom door to throw his bag haphazardly on the floor before standing outside Liam’s door. The room is silent, which is odd for Liam, because he normally likes to annoy the shit out of Harry with the musings of Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. Not that Harry really minds but Liam doesn’t need to know that.

Harry lifts his hand up to knock gently. “Li?” he calls out, softer this time because he senses that his best friend isn’t doing so well.

Harry thinks it’s safe to say that Zayn was the love of Liam’s life, that he lost. It took him a long time to pick up the pieces of his broken heart and put himself back together. And it took him even longer to finally trust someone again with his heart. Harry can only imagine how Liam must be feeling seeing Zayn again after all this time.

He finally hears a muffled groan on the other side of the door. Harry takes that as an invitation slowly opening the door to peek inside. The room is dark, lights off, curtains closed, and all Harry can really make out is the human lump on the bed under the covers. Harry quietly walks in, closing the door gently behind him, tiptoeing across the room.

“Scoot over, will you?” Harry orders, whispering, lifting the covers and making himself comfortable, more than happy to spoon his best friend. He probably needs it more than ever right now. Liam complies without protest. He instantly melts against Harry’s embrace, letting himself be the little spoon.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Harry asks.

There’s a few beats of silence before Liam lets out a long, exasperated breath. “Not really,” he says, voice small.

Harry tightens his hold around Liam’s waist, nuzzling his face into the warmth of his neck. Liam has always been sort of like a comfort blanket to Harry, always warm and inviting, making him feel better no matter what. Even just laying here in bed, in the middle of the silent darkness. Harry hopes he can be that for Liam as well.

After a few more moments, Harry decides to break the silence again. “How about I go first?”

Liam wiggles a little in Harry’s arms at that. “What do you mean?” He looks over his shoulder at Harry.

Harry takes a deep, calming breath. It’s not that he planned on keeping it a secret from Liam, it just never came up. There never seemed to be an appropriate time to bring it up so Harry just never said anything. Either way, Harry thinks it’s time Liam knew the truth.

“Louis and I have met before… before the show where he discovered me.” The confession feels like he’s unloading a weight that he’s been carrying on his shoulders for a long time. Harry feels relieved to finally say it out loud to someone, to his best friend.

Liam turns around to face him. “You what?” Harry’s got his full attention now and, in a way, he should be grateful for successfully distracting his best friend from his own woes.

He’s suddenly thankful for the darkness so Liam’s face remains hidden. “You know that club I went to a while back? With Jeff and Glenne?”

“Yeah… the one you said you probably wouldn’t go back to because it wasn’t really your thing,” Liam easily replies.

And dammit. Harry hates that sometimes Liam has the memory of an elephant. He also didn’t mean to lie to Liam but he sort of wanted to keep that memory of Louis to himself at the time. All of that was when he didn’t think he would ever see Louis again, let alone end up with him being the person responsible for Harry’s music career.

“Well… I met him there…” Harry continues. “We sort of… did... “ He clears his throat. “We hooked up.”

Liam is quiet and to Harry it feels like an eternity. He wonders what his best friend is thinking. He knows Liam would never judge him but Harry hopes he won’t be mad for withholding this information from him. He’d hate for Liam to think that Harry doesn’t trust him because that isn’t the case at all.

Liam’s hand comes up to rest on Harry’s waist and he squeezes it gently.

“Wow... and now you have to work with him and see him all the time. How do you feel about that?” Liam’s voice is sympathetic and gentle. It catches Harry off guard because he was prepared for a lecture, a reprimand, or something but getting asked how he’s doing with this whole Louis situation... Well, it makes Harry let out a breath and all of his stress and worries melt away for the moment.

Harry processes Liam’s question because, to be honest, he hasn’t really thought about it— hasn’t let himself think about Louis too much. (He could have been a lot worse.) But now that he’s being asked how he feels about having to work so closely with Louis, having to see him almost every day, be in the same room with him, to have to depend on Louis to launch Harry’s music, and trust him... Well, it’s a lot. But at the same time, there’s something about Louis, that from the first moment Harry laid eyes on him made Harry feel like he can trust him. It’s something in his eyes and the way he presents himself that assures Harry that Louis is a genuinely good person. So far, Louis hasn’t let him down.

“I’m… I think I’ll be alright. I mean, I wasn’t great at first but I finally got to talk to him and we agreed to put that behind us. We’re starting with a clean slate. We’re both professionals so we intend to keep it that way, I guess,” Harry explains to Liam, trying to keep the slight hint of disappointment from his tone. He knows this is the best decision for them but that doesn’t stop it from leaving Harry wanting something more with Louis. But he’s not going to voice that out loud because Liam doesn’t need any more of Harry’s problems when he’s got plenty of his own.

Liam’s soft exhale distracts Harry from his own thoughts. “You know, Zayn had been trying to get in touch with me. Even before the meeting today.”

Harry leans up on his elbow to try to get a better look at his best friend. “He did?”

Liam hums. “Yeah. He was calling and texting. Even sent me an e-mail at one point. I’ve been ignoring them. Blocked him from my phone and everything. He said he wanted to talk to me but I wanted nothing to do with him. For the first time in a long time I was happy. I _am_ happy, with Anton, you know?”

Harry reaches out to hold on to Liam’s hand. “Yeah.”

“And then to just have him show up today, in that conference room... it just...” Liam sighs. “It was a lot. I finally want nothing to do with him and the universe is like, ‘Haha, gotcha!’ And then he has the nerve to try and talk to me like nothing happened,” he scoffs.

Harry hugs Liam then, feeling the need to embrace his best friend, to comfort and be there for him. When he pulls away, he asks, “Are you planning on talking to Anton about what happened?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. I haven’t gotten that far in thinking about it.” Harry feels Liam shrug.

Harry sits up. “Alright, well, enough moping around for both of us. Why don’t we order some really greasy pizza and watch a rom com?” he suggests.

Liam chuckles. “Like you need an excuse to watch a rom com.”

Harry laughs and rubs Liam’s head. “Aww, Li Li is back to his jokester self. That’s the spirit!” He plants a sloppy kiss on Liam’s cheek and begins to tickle his sides.

“Oh my God, Harry, stop! Okay, okay, I’ll watch a rom com with you!” Liam giggles, breathless.

“Now, that’s what I like to hear. Come on.” He slaps Liam on the bum before he jumps off the bed. He turns on the bedroom light and they both groan in unison at the brightness of it, having been sitting in the dark for nearly the past hour.

“God, Haz, a little warning would have been nice,” Liam says, covering his eyes.

“Sorry, sorry. Now come on, let’s get some pizza.”

 

**XXX**

 

Louis stands anxiously outside of the studio they’d rented out for the day with two cups of tea in his hands. It’s a brisk morning for November in LA, and he checks his watch to look at the time.

Louis was going to meet with the potential producers first and narrow it down before introducing them to Harry but he didn’t want to be that type of CEO that just assigns a producer to the artist. Louis wants this album to be the best it can be, and he knows that with Harry’s input, he’ll put the best album out there. So, in trying to show Harry his professionalism and starting over, Louis had e-mailed him letting him know that he was meeting with these people and asked if he wanted to come along. Harry, of course, agreed and now Louis is outside, waiting for him to arrive.

Niall had his own meeting with a potential producer for Bebe so he couldn’t come along as a buffer for them, but Louis is hoping that Liam will be good enough for that.

Louis thinks he finally sees a Harry-shaped form approaching among a crowd of people in the distance. The clearer Harry becomes, the more it seems that Harry is alone. And, shit, Louis was not planning on doing this meeting alone with Harry. He hopes Liam is just running a little late or something.

As soon as Harry catches Louis watching him, his face brightens and he smiles, dimple out on full display. He has black Converse on his feet, black skinny jeans that make his legs look long and so lean, and an old Rolling Stones t-shirt that has more holes than Louis can count with a red flannel shirt over it. He’s got aviator sunglasses and a beanie on his head, but Louis can see a few baby curls peeking out. Even in the simplest clothes Harry manages to look like one of the most beautiful people Louis has ever seen. He quickly pushes those thoughts away though, because he can’t be thinking about how hot Harry makes everything look when he’s going to be spending a big part of today working with him.

When Harry finally stops right in front of Louis, Louis smiles and greets him. “Good morning,” he says, extending one of the cups he has in his hand. “Tea?”

Harry takes the cup. “Yes, thank you.” He takes a sip and Louis tries to not let his eyes linger on the way Harry’s lips suck the liquid out of the cup. “God, that’s delicious. Thanks, Louis.”

Louis clears his throat. “So... is Liam just gonna meet us here?”

Harry’s eyebrows raise. “Oh. No, he couldn’t make it. He’s trying to finish his senior project so he can graduate on time in just a few weeks. Plus, he said he trusts my judgment since I’m such a music snob,” he chuckles at the last part.

Louis laughs. “Okay. That’s fine, we’re going to have a meeting about who our final choice is anyway, so it’s not really dire that he’s here today.” Though he could have served as a good distraction, he doesn’t say out loud. “Did you bring your demos?”

They both make their way into the studio, Louis opening the door for Harry to let him go first. Harry pats at his messenger bag. “Right here.”

Louis had asked Harry and his band to record demos of the songs he already has so that the producers could get an idea of the sound and theme they’re trying to go for. They can talk about the vision they have for Harry’s debut album all they want but Louis thinks having Harry’s EP and a few demos will really help drive the point home.

“Perfect.”

As soon as they settle in, the first producer of the day shows up. They spend the entire morning meeting producer after producer but Harry doesn’t seem sold on any of them just yet. They all seem to understand what Harry’s vision is and they also seem to genuinely enjoy the songs, but Louis agrees with Harry. There’s just something that the producers they’ve met with so far are missing and Louis can’t quite put his finger on it.

They still have one more producer to meet in about an hour so Louis decides to order some chinese take out for the both of them.

“It’s like... they seem good and very professional,” Harry begins to explain over a bite of lo mein. “But as soon as they hear the demos, they seem fixated on what they want to fix about them.” He shrugs. “I don’t know. I know the songs need work but I just feel like they want to work for me instead of with me, you know?”

Louis nods. “Yeah, I see what you mean and I completely agree. Hopefully this next person is what we’re looking for.”

As much as Louis was dreading doing this alone with Harry, it has actually turned out a lot better than he expected. There hasn’t been any awkwardness between them and maybe that has a lot to do with the fact that there hasn’t really been any time for it with these back to back meetings. But right now, as they sit at one of the coffee tables eating their Chinese takeout, it feels oddly comfortable. Louis hopes it continues to stay that way.

Just as they finish up their lunch, their last producer shows up. Her name is Tabitha Riktor and she’s most famously known for working with artists like Troye Sivan, Years & Years, and more recently, she worked on Halsey’s newest album which has become one of Louis’ favorites lately. Harry and Louis introduce themselves and get right to work. Harry talks to her about what he wants from this album and what he hopes to get across. They play her the demo of "Meet Me in the Hallway" and, not even halfway through the song, she puts her hand up to stop the song.

Louis’ heart stops for a moment, thinking maybe she might not like the song, making him question his own music taste, but before he can come up with any reason, she smiles.

“You wrote this song?” She asks Harry, a sense of awe in her tone.

Harry nods shyly. “Ye-yes.” His voice sounds so small, Louis wants to wrap him up in a hug. He must be wondering the same thing as Louis.

Tabitha shakes her head. “That’s incredible, Harry. There are so many good things in this song, it’s sort of overwhelming for me. I’d love to work with you so that we can take this song and make it shine like it truly deserves.” Her face is confident and she’s smiling warmly at Harry.

Harry glances at Louis who is grinning from ear to ear. Louis nods at Harry and he turns back to look at Tabitha. “Yes, I’d love that,” he says, more sure of himself.

Tabitha asks to listen to the rest of the song and the other demo they had and she seems even more excited to be working with Harry. They make plans to meet again, this time with Harry’s team so they can go over a timeline of when they want this album to be done and all the other logistics. When she leaves the studio, both Harry and Louis take a relieved breath and suddenly Harry is on Louis, his long arms coming to wrap around him, all warm and inviting, catching Louis off guard.

“Thanks so much, Louis. She’s perfect,” Harry says against Louis’ ear. It takes everything in Louis not to nuzzle into Harry’s neck and smell him. Instead, he just hugs him back.

“Your album is going to be amazing, Harry,” Louis assures him. They break apart still smiling like lunatics.

-

Days in the office aren’t as dreadful as they were the first week Louis became CEO of the label. He finds himself looking forward to his days, especially those where he knows he’s going to see Harry.

He and Niall meet every morning to check in and talk about what they plan to do for the day, they do what they need to get done, and then reconvene at the end of the day to talk about what they’ve done with each artist. Bebe seems to be right on track, just like Harry, starting to work on her album with the producer they’ve chosen.

“So then we should have a meeting with the artists, producers, and their teams just to make sure that everyone is on the same page and we can get the ball rolling,” Louis explains typing up a few notes into his iPad.

“You got it, Boss,” Niall replies, making some notes of his own.

There’s a knock on Louis’ door and he looks up to find Zayn in the doorway. “Hey, Zayn, come in.”

Zayn smiles, running a hand through his hair. They didn’t have any plans to meet today, so Louis wonders why he’s here.

“Hey,” Zayn greets them both, taking a tentative seat next to Niall. He fidgets in his seat a couple of times until he seems to find a comfortable position.

“What are you up to, mate? Wasn’t expecting to see you today,” Louis tells him trying to ease him out of whatever discomfort Zayn seems to be in. It’s rare to see him this way. In the couple of years that Louis has known him, Zayn has always had this air of confidence to him that Louis had always been a bit jealous of but, right now, the guy sitting right across from him isn’t that guy.

Zayn visibly exhales. “I wanted to talk to you about something.” He looks down at his hands before looking back up.

“Sure, what is it?” Louis sits back on his chair, making sure to give Zayn his undivided attention, folding his hands against his chest.

“I wanted to see if there was any way I can have Doniya take over for Harry’s PR and Marketing, and maybe I can just do more behind the scenes stuff,” Zayn’s voice is timid, soft  again, not at all what Louis is used to.

Louis scrunches his eyebrows. “Why do you want to do that?”

Zayn stays quiet for a moment and just as Louis is about to ask again, he’s interrupted. “I just don’t want to cause any problems with Harry’s manager, Liam.”

Louis realizes what Zayn is talking about, remembering the brief conversation he had with Harry about Liam and Zayn’s history and the way Liam stormed out of the conference room last week.

“Why would there be a problem?” Louis is letting the curious side of him get the best of him, trying to see if Zayn will want to talk about it.

Zayn looks down at his lap again. “Liam and I… we were together for a long time. I ended things about a year ago, to focus on the company. I would hate for our history to create any animosity between the team so that’s why I thought I’d offer to have Doniya take over.”

Louis thinks about Zayn’s words, trying to determine what the best course of action would be. To Louis, there’s really no comparison. Zayn is the best at what he does, no offense to his sister, who he’s sure is great at her job, but Louis only wants the best and that’s Zayn.

Louis exhales, shaking his head. “No, Zayn, I need you. I hired your company because of _you._ I don’t want anyone else. We’re friends but we also make a good team. At least, I think so.”

“Yeah. Yes, I know. I just thought I’d bring that up as an option. I tried talking to Liam last week but he completely brushed me off. I just wanted to make sure we could keep things civil. Ever since I found out who you signed I’d been trying to contact him but he ignored my messages. I’ll try my best, at least on my part. I can’t guarantee what Liam will do.”

Louis nods. “Thanks. Harry said he was going to talk to Liam so we’ll see. Thanks for the heads up, though. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening between you two.”

Zayn shrugs. “Love sucks, man. It hurts like hell.” That’s all he says and just the way the words sound coming out of Zayn’s mouth, they make Louis’ heart twinge. His eyes are downcast and Louis can see that his friend is hurting. Louis wonders if he might still have feelings for Liam.

Louis gets lost in his thoughts before he realizes that Zayn has stood up. “I’m sorry. What?”

Zayn chuckles. “I said I’ll see you later then. I’ve got a lunch meeting I gotta get to. See you guys tomorrow?”

“Ye-yeah,” Louis says distractedly. “I’ll e-mail you our plans for the next meeting. Niall and I were just talking about it.”

“Sounds good, man,” Zayn leans over Louis’ desk and they shake hands. He moves on to shake Niall’s hand, too, before he turns to leave.

“Wow… this is starting to sound a lot like a telenovela,” Niall comments. And Louis had completely forgotten Niall had been in the room during that entire conversation.

Louis laughs. “Yeah, it is. I wonder if there’s anything we can do to, like, I don’t know. Get them to warm up to each other?”

“You can take them to a bar and get them really drunk. Make them talk it all out,” Niall suggests.

They both giggle but then Louis stops. He has an idea, but, fuck, he’s going to have to pitch it to the board first. Louis is really liking his job a lot, yes, but the one thing he absolutely hates is having to run anything by the board of directors. They like to clip Louis’ wings so that he doesn’t fly too far from the nest, so to speak. Louis sighs.

“What is it?” Niall asks.

Louis looks at Niall. “I have an idea. I’m gonna need your help pitching it to the board.”


	3. This Could be Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Paradise by Coldplay

It takes a well thought out plan built on facts and a few pleads that Niall and Louis spent all night working on. Louis’ stomach wouldn’t stop churning with nerves. After twenty minutes of deliberation by the board they gave Louis the green light on his idea.

On one condition.

Louis and Niall were given permission to take their new artists and teams on a trip to Mexico as a form of team building, getting to know each other and warming up to everyone. The only condition the board gave was each artist must have one song ready and recorded to be released as a single.

It was the middle of November and they had to have a song written and recorded by the time they came back from their trip. Louis instantly agreed but as soon as he left the meeting it all sank in.

“Niall…” Louis calls to his best friend as they go back to Louis’ office. “What if we can’t do it? What if it’s not enough time to get a song ready? What if we fail before we even launch Bebe and Harry?” He can feel his heart racing and he feels Niall’s arm come up to rest on his shoulder.

“Louis, it’s okay. We’ll be fine.” Niall’s calm voice resonates in Louis’ ears. He takes a few calming breaths. “Both Bebe and Harry are incredibly talented. I have no doubt they’ll be able to come up with something. Plus, we’re going to be in Mexico for a week. We’ll rent a studio, bring in the producers, and put them on a strict schedule so they’re able to get it done. We’ve got this.”

Louis takes another deep, calming breath and nods. “Yeah, yeah. You’re absolutely right. God,” he puts his face in his hands when he sits at his desk. “I feel like sometimes I’m in way over my head here. I’m glad I have you here to just bring me back to Earth.”

Niall chuckles. “I got you, man.” He claps his hands together. “Alright, we’ve got to set up another meeting with everyone. I have to contact the producers and make sure they’re available. Thankfully they’ve already signed their contracts and the trip falls into the time frame they’re supposed to work with us, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Yes, that’s good. I’ll get Lauren to contact Harry and Bebe’s managers. And to book the flight, too. God, we have so much to do.” Louis scrambles to open up his e-mail and get things going.

A hesitant thought lingers on the back of his mind and Louis tries his best to push it down, replaying Niall’s reassuring words in his head.

 

**XXX**

 

“Liiiiiaaam. I don’t even own any swim trunks!” Harry whines as soon as they arrive home after their meeting with Louis and the teams. They were told they’re going to Mexico in just a few days and the first thing he thought of was how he needs to go shopping for swim trunks.

Liam scoffs. “What do you mean you don’t own swim trunks, Harry? We live in Los Angeles! The beach is like, right there.” Liam points out the window.

“I know but I never have time to go to the beach with school and work and performing. Why do you think I’m so fucking pasty!” Liam laughs at him and Harry pouts because he can’t believe his best friend isn’t more sympathetic to his current predicament.

Liam sighs. “Okay, fine. We’ll go shopping later for some damn swim trunks. I have to make sure all my shit is turned in before we leave or else I’m never going to graduate. I’ll call you later and we’ll meet at the mall, okay?”

Harry slams himself into Liam, wrapping his arms around him. “This is why I love you, Li.” He kisses him on top of his head.

“Okay, okay, enough. I’ve got to go if you want me to come back in time to go shopping,” Liam warns.

Harry lets go of him. “Alright. Text me when you’re on your way back.”

Liam leaves after he assures Harry he’ll text and Harry lets himself fall onto the couch.

He had attempted to continue school, at least finish this semester and continue working as well but after a few weeks and having a very long conversation with his parents (because even though he’s twenty one years old he still has to talk to his parents about his plans for the future), he decided it was best to just let those things go. He dropped out of school and his last day at work was just last week. He finds himself pretty bored at the apartment, especially when Liam is scrambling to get his school work done so he can dedicate his time to being Harry’s manager full time with a Business Management degree.

Harry feels like this might be sort of the calm before the storm. He knows it’s just a matter of time before his time is consumed by writing and recording and, eventually, performing and traveling. He’s making the most of this down time he has before everything goes crazy all around him.

When Louis announced they were going on a trip to Mexico, he couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about what the trip would entail. Being in an exotic country with just his team and Louis. Getting to see Louis in a bathing suit, being comfortable and relaxed on the beach. Harry isn’t sure if he’s going to be able to keep things very professional between them. He’s having enough trouble as it is and he doesn’t know if adding the beach and what will most likely be a lot of drinking will help his situation.

Louis also informed them they will be renting a studio because they need to have a song ready to be released for Christmas. To be honest, Harry is more nervous about the time he’ll be spending with Louis in close quarters in a foreign country. Music is his comfort zone, and it comes pretty easily to him. He’s sure that they’ll be able to come up with something good, especially with the help of Tabitha.

He’s nervous for Liam, knowing full well Zayn will be joining them on the trip. Having both Zayn and Liam in the meeting this time around was a lot less tense, both acting like professionals and putting their work first. Liam hasn’t said anything about the fact that Zayn will be joining them but maybe it hasn’t really hit him yet.

Only time will tell.

-

“Sorry, there weren’t enough business class seats on such short notice, so um… looks like we’re sitting together,” Louis explains handing Harry his ticket. Harry tries as hard as he can not to gape. His eyes go a bit wide and he glances at Liam, who’s clamping his teeth down, no doubt trying to hold back a smile. Harry wants to kick him.

Harry clears his throat and looks down at the ticket in his hand. “Um... that’s fine. Thank you.”

Louis’ lips curve into a smile. “Go grab a bite to eat and we’ll meet here before boarding. Don’t look so nervous,” he teases.

“I’m not,” Harry answers immediately. “I just... I hate flying.” He lets out a nervous breath. It’s true. Harry has been known to get very anxious and jittery when on a plane. He often takes something to help him cope but in the rush of packing and trying to make sure he had everything he needed, he had completely forgotten. Knowing he’s going to be sitting next to Louis for a three hour flight is only adding to his anxiety.

Harry startles at the warm hand that’s suddenly on his shoulder. But as soon as he sees it’s Louis’ hand, he melts into it along with some of his worries. He takes a deep breath, willing his heart not to beat out of his chest.

“You’ll be okay. I promise,” Louis’ soothing words filter in his ears. It takes everything inside of Harry not to close his eyes and bask in the warmth of them.

Instead, Harry smiles in return before excusing himself to go explore the airport shops to distract himself from what just happened.

“Dude, what was that all about?” Liam asks, quickly catching up to Harry’s rushed steps.

Harry’s gaze falls on Liam, and he just shrugs nonchalantly. “Nothing. Just telling Louis how much I hate flying.”

“Did you pack your dramamine or do we need to go buy some?” Liam asks.

“I need to go buy some, and maybe I need a cocktail, too,” Harry says the last part as an afterthought. If he is going to spend a flight with Louis Tomlinson, he’s going to need to need a drink or two.

-

Boarding is easy enough, though when Harry has to leave Liam behind when business class gets called to line up, he starts to feel a little shaky. They pass by the hostess, get their tickets scanned, and walk toward the plane entrance. Every step Harry gets closer to his seat, his heart beats faster and harder. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as soon as he sits down.

“Are you going to be okay?” Louis’ voice makes Harry’s eyes flutter back open. Harry tries to smile but he’s sure it comes out more like a grimace and he nods.

“I’ll be fine.” Louis doesn’t look like he believes him.

His face feels a little warm from the two piña coladas he had with his lunch. He’d told Liam that he was warming up to the tropical country they were about to go to, but Liam had just brushed him off knowing he was full of shit. Now Harry is starting to regret those cocktails because the last thing he wants is to be buzzed sitting next to his boss and really hot guy he’s got a crush on.

A hostess comes down the aisle with a tray of glasses filled to the brim.

“Champagne?” She asks when she gets to their row.

Harry accepts it, because what the hell. He’s still feeling nervous as fuck and another drink won’t hurt right? He takes the glass and practically chugs down the bubbly liquid, and it tickles as it travels down his throat.

“Thirsty?” Louis’ amused voice reminds Harry that, right, Louis is right next to him and probably thinks he has a drinking problem.

Harry’s cheeks flame and he runs a hand through his hair, trying to do something, anything with his hands. He forces out a laugh and he gives the empty glass back to the hostess before settling back in his seat. He buckles his seatbelt and leans his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes and willing himself to pass out.

It’s all a blur after that. The whole mandatory safety instructions are all a fuzzy memory in Harry’s brain. He’s still working on keeping his breathing even and trying not to panic hearing the engine and feeling the plane move preparing for departure. His hands are clinging to the armrests for dear life; he’s sure he’ll have the imprint on his skin afterwards but he doesn’t care.

Just as the plane begins to speed up to take off, a warm hand with a strong grip takes Harry’s left hand. He has his eyes closed trying to count and breathe, but the touch distracts him from what he’s doing and his eyes fly open. Louis is holding onto his hand firmly, looking straight ahead as the plane takes off. Harry wants to ask, he wants to say something, but every time he tries, nothing comes out of his mouth. It’s like he’s been stunned into silence by such a simple action. He also realizes that his body is more relaxed, his shoulders aren’t tense and his heart has calmed down. Harry looks out of the window and notices they’re already in the air and he somehow missed it all, too busy focusing on Louis to even notice. Harry sits back in his seat, takes a deep breath, and squeezes Louis’ hand without another word.

Harry doesn’t realize he has fallen asleep until he’s being shaken awake. He groans rubbing his eyes and slowly opening them, Louis’s ocean blue eyes coming into focus. Harry notices his hand is still clasped in Louis’.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but we’re about to land,” Louis apologizes. His eyes roam around Harry’s like he’s gauging how he’s feeling, and it makes Harry’s stomach swoop.

Harry reluctantly lets go of Louis’ hand, their palms sweaty from holding onto each other so long, and a flash of embarrassment courses through him thinking about what just happened.

“Don’t apologize. I should be the one apologizing for being such a mess,” Harry tells him.

“No, none of that,” Louis insists. His voice leaves no room for argument, so Harry clamps his mouth shut. The tone of his voice brings back a memory he wishes his mind wouldn’t bring up right now where they’re in such close quarters.

Landing doesn’t go nearly as badly as the take off had gone, and Harry lets out a relieved sigh when the plane is finally on solid ground. They’re escorted out and once the entire team is together, they head towards baggage claim.

The air inside the airport already feels different and Harry’s excitement comes back now that all the flying is over and done with.

“The cars are outside waiting for us and they’ll take us to the house,” Niall announces as they gather their bags.

Sure enough, there are four minivans parked in a line outside, the drivers waiting for their passengers. As soon as they step outside, the humidity clings to Harry’s skin, the smell of the salty ocean fills his nostrils, and the reality of where he is and what he’s here to do hits him all over again.

Liam tugs him along towards the first vehicle where they are joined by Louis, Zayn, and Lauren. Harry is proud of Liam and how he looks completely unbothered by having his ex-boyfriend in such close proximity. Harry wishes he could say the same when he has to squeeze in next to Louis inside the compact minivan. There isn’t a place their legs aren’t touching and Harry’s skin feels like it’s on fire. He hopes the trip to the house isn’t too long, or he might not be responsible for the awkward boner he will undoubtedly get.

Thankfully, the house isn’t far from the airport. They pull up to a driveway and Harry feels like he can breathe again when they get out of the vehicle. He’s stunned to find they’re not staying in a house. They’re staying in a freaking mansion.

White. Everything is white and clear. The windows make the entire house look like it’s made of glass and Harry can see the colorful decor inside. It’s so beautiful, it nearly takes his breath away.

“Bienvenidos a Casa La Playa,” Jose, their driver tells them. He helps them unload their luggage and Harry thanks him.

“Muchas gracias, Jose.”

“You know Spanish?” Louis’ voice startles Harry, who’s still taking it all in. He turns to look at Louis who is still waiting for him to answer.

Harry blushes. “Yeah, a little. One of my best friends from Primary school was Mexican. His parents owned a little Mexican restaurant and I’d be there all the time, helping out or just hanging out. So I picked up some of it up along the way,” he explains.

Before Louis can say anything, they’re distracted by the rest of the group arriving. They go inside and everything is vibrant. Every room is a different color, from the royal blue kitchen, to the hot pink walls that adorn the living room, and the bright orange hallway.

“Okay, so some of us are going to have to share rooms. I’ll leave that up to all of you to decide,” Louis explains.

Liam and Harry look at each other. “Liam and I don’t mind sharing a room,” Harry offers.

Louis nods at them. “Alright, well all rooms are fair game. We will meet for dinner at 8,” Louis says looking at the time. “I want to go over what we have planned to do this week.”

Everyone agrees to meet downstairs for dinner before they all disburse to find a room. Liam and Harry find a room with two double beds. The room is a warm peachy color, the bed decor is bright orange and turquoise, and there’s a perfect view of the ocean right outside their balcony. Harry leaves his suitcase to admire the view. The waves crashing into each other are mesmerizing to watch and Harry’s excitement for what the rest of the week holds returns in full force.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis begins to regret his idea for this trip as soon as he makes it to the kitchen. Harry is in front of the stove, cooking something that smells heavenly. Not only that; he’s wearing nothing but tiny, little shorts that leave very little to Louis’ wild imagination. His mind is already thinking of ways he can tear him apart and he hasn’t even had his morning tea.

He clears his throat, startling Harry. Harry slowly turns around with a spatula in his hand and eyes wide. When he notices Louis, he smiles timidly.

“Good morning, Louis,” he greets before turning back around to tend to whatever he’s cooking.

“Good morning, Harry. Why are you up so early and what are you cooking that smells so fucking good?” Louis decides to make himself busy, looking for the things he needs to make tea and coffee, needing to do something— anything— to distract himself from what he really wants to do: ogle Harry’s arse.

Harry laughs lightly. “Just making everyone breakfast. Huevos con chorizo, and some potatoes,” he explains as if Louis should already know what all of that is.

“What the what?” Louis asks. He approaches the stove tentatively, taking a peek at what Harry is stirring. He sees the potatoes and what looks like egg with some sort of meat. Whatever it is, it’s what’s causing his mouth to water. Not Harry in the tiny shorts, of course.

Harry giggles again. “It’s eggs with chorizo. It’s spicy pork sausage.”

Louis hums. “Looks delicious.” As if on cue, his stomach grumbles.

Harry’s eyes trail down to his stomach, still smiling. “Have a seat, I’ll make your plate.”

Louis doesn’t argue. After preparing his tea, he sits at the table and Harry places a hefty plate of food in front of him along with a container with tortillas. Harry joins him not long after.

Louis watches Harry for a minute as he takes a tortilla and tears off a piece, taking some egg and potatoes with it before stuffing his mouth with it. Louis follows suit and as soon as the food is in his mouth, he moans, loud. Louis slaps his hand on his lips, not meaning to make so much noise, but he can’t help that the food is just that good.

Harry laughs with a mouth full of food. “Good?”

Louis nods. “Very.”

It isn’t long after that they’re joined by the rest of the group and everyone fills up their plates. Harry made enough food to feed an army. They all enjoy a nice breakfast at the kitchen table, the breeze from the open windows circulating in the room, making it a wonderful ambiance.

“So what’s on the schedule today, Boss?” Niall asks, taking a bite of his own food.

Louis takes a sip of his tea and replies, “Harry and Tabitha have studio time from 9 until 1. At 1 we have lunch, then Bebe and Spike have the studio from 2 until 6. That’s pretty much what it will be like every day. After that, we have time for dinner and to explore the city if anyone would like to do that. We need to do what it takes to have these songs ready by the end of our trip.”

Bebe and Harry nod along to what Louis says before people begin to excuse themselves to get started on their day.

As Harry is picking up his dish, Louis stops him. “Hey, Harry?”

Harry freezes, giving Louis a questioning look. “Yeah?”

“I’ve got a conference call this morning but I’ll stop by the studio later, if that’s okay?” Louis asks.

Harry grins. “Yeah, of course. I can’t wait.”

Louis doesn’t know why he blushes at that.

-

The conference call takes longer than Louis was anticipating so he rushes to the studio as soon as it’s over. He stops right before he gets to the entrance. It’s open and there’s music playing, the sound of guitar strings and Harry’s voice crooning a very beautiful melody.

“ _Ooh tell me something I don’t already know_ …”

There’s something about Harry’s voice, the way the emotion of what he’s singing transfers to the music. It gets Louis every time. It makes him stand there in amazement as he continues singing. Even just being like this, what sounds like Harry experimenting, he sounds so good.

After he feels he’s done enough eavesdropping, Louis finally makes himself known, appearing at the doorway, peeking in. Harry immediately looks up and smiles timidly.

“Sounding really good,” Louis comments and a pretty pink flush takes over Harry’s cheeks.

“Thanks. Um, we’re just playing around with some ideas I had. But we don’t think any of them are debut single material,” Harry explains.

Louis sits on one of the cushioned chairs, crossing his legs. “Well, let’s hear it. I’ll be the judge of that,” he says with a warm smile, encouraging Harry to continue.

Harry dimples, nodding. “Alright,” he says before resuming his playing.

Harry and Tabitha are right. The song ideas are good. Good enough even for Harry to keep for potential songs for the album, but not debut single worthy. They all throw some ideas around, playing around with sound and melodies, making note of what they like and don’t like. The rest of their studio time goes by in a blur and they’re surprised when Liam comes by to let them know it’s lunch time.

Louis claps his hands together. “I think we did a lot of good work today. I’m sure we’ll find what we’re looking for in no time,” he tells Harry, who seems to look a bit disappointed. Louis isn’t sure why. They’ve still got time to come up with something good.

“Yeah... I just,” Harry starts. Liam and Tabitha walk ahead of them, leaving Harry and Louis behind. They stop by a palm tree, both turning their gazes to the ocean, the waves crashing into each other under the sun. Harry sighs, running a hand through his hair. Louis has come to realize that he does that when he’s nervous or stressed about something. “Music is what comes easy to me, like breathing, almost. I just, I guess I’m just disappointed we didn’t really get anywhere today,” he admits.

Louis doesn’t like how hard Harry is being on himself. “Harry, you just came up with several song ideas for your album. I’d hardly call that not getting anywhere. Your album is taking shape right now. You should be proud of that. I know I am.”

Harry’s face brightens at that, his eyes and mouth going wide. And, God, that fucking mouth. Why does it have to be so sinful? “Really?”

Louis squeezes at Harry’s arm. “Of course. I know you’ll come up with the best song for your debut single. You just have to wait for it to come to you. It’ll happen when you least expect it.”

Harry seems to be comforted by Louis’ words. “Thanks, Louis. For, you know, being so wonderful.”

Now it’s Louis’ turn to flush. “Come on, let’s go eat before the others leave us with nothing.”

-

The next couple of days are a bit routine. They wake up, have breakfast together as a group before they split up and Harry goes into the studio. They have lunch, then it’s Bebe’s turn to work in the studio. Louis sometimes stops by to watch Harry and Tabitha work together, maybe give a bit of input here and there, but he also doesn’t want to feel like he’s hovering over Harry and his creative process, so often times he tries to make himself scarce, trying to find other things to do.

On their third day in Mexico, things start getting stressful. Again, Harry and Tabitha come up with great ideas, they even do some recording to test out the sound and the song as a whole. However, when their time at the studio winds down and they play the song back, neither of them feels ecstatic about it being the single.

“I don’t know,” Harry starts, his voice sounds a little resigned, deflated. Louis hates that. “I love this song, I really do. But I’m still not convinced it should be the song that launches my career.”

As much as Louis would like to argue, he has to agree. They decide to call it a day after that, promising to keep working on stuff on their own after lunch. Louis steps right outside to take a quick phone call that takes only a few minutes but when he returns to the studio to retrieve the sunglasses he’d left behind, he finds Harry.

Harry is lying on the couch, eyes facing the ceiling, and there’s that defeated look again. He looks sad and Louis wants to do anything to take that look away from his face.

“Not hungry?” Louis doesn’t mean to startle Harry, but he does anyway as soon as the words leave his mouth. Harry jumps, sitting up, his eyes not really meeting Louis’.

“Um... no. Not really, no.” Harry stutters out. He doesn’t really explain much more so Louis is determined to get it out of him.

“What’s wrong?” Louis takes a seat next to Harry on the couch, facing him. Harry is biting his lip nervously and it’s taking a lot for Louis to not just stare at the way his bottom lip is caught and wanting to be the one nibbling on it, tasting it. No. He has an artist who is upset about something, and Louis needs to find out what it is and fix it.

Harry shrugs. But again, he’s not looking at Louis.

“Harry, look at me,” Louis says, voice firm, leaving no room to argue. He thinks he hears the faint sound of Harry’s breath hitching, but he can’t really tell. However, Harry obeys as his eyes come up to meet his.

They stare at each other for just a moment before Harry finally breaks and Louis doesn’t expect it. Harry crumbles. His face in his hands, crying, and it’s breaking Louis’ heart. But he still isn’t sure why Harry is so torn up. Either way, Louis jumps into action, putting his arm around Harry’s shoulders. Harry goes easily, letting his head rest on Louis’ shoulder while he hiccups a bit before finally catching his breath. Louis gives him all the time he needs to get himself together before he can tell him what’s wrong.

Harry lets out a long sigh, sounding more resigned than ever before finally saying, “I think you made a mistake signing me.” His voice is low and gravelly from all the crying and he sounds so sad, Louis’ hand instinctively comes up to play with Harry’s hair, wanting to be any sort of comfort for him.

“What makes you think that?” Louis asks carefully. His voice is soft and gentle as his fingers continue running through Harry’s curls. They’re so soft, like silk.

Harry clears his throat, wiping away at his eyes. “I just don’t feel I can write anything that’s good enough for the single. We’ve been working at it for three days now.”

Louis is trying so hard not to be endeared by Harry and the way his lips form a sad pout. How can someone possibly look this adorable even when they’re upset? Louis brings himself back to earth and stands up, reaching a hand out for Harry.

“Come on.”

Harry looks at his hand, confusion written all over his features. “Where are we going?”

Louis smiles. “Let’s go explore the city. Get our minds off of anything that has to do with writing music and just enjoy the beautiful country we’re in. We’re in Puerto Vallarta, Harry! Now, come on!”

Harry takes his hand, and Louis pulls him along. He’s not sure exactly where they’re going yet, but he knows next to Harry everything will be a great adventure.

-

Jose drives them to El Centro where they have tacos for lunch and chocolate churros for dessert. They walk around, admiring the beautiful scenery of the beach and the lovely, colorful culture that decorates the entire city. There’s statues and murals everywhere. Harry has his camera with him so they stop every few minutes for him to take pictures, often asking Louis to take a picture of him next to a statue or with a local who is painted from head to toe in very vibrant colors. Harry already looks so much better than he did just a couple of hours ago, like someone breathed life into him taking in everything in his surroundings.

“So what inspired you to write the song Carolina, anyway?” Louis asks while they’re walking through the small town. He’s been curious about all of Harry’s songs and he figures this is a good way to get to know him a little better.

Harry is looking down at his feet but Louis can see his grin as they continue their stride.

“It’s actually a funny story,” Harry begins. They stop by a bench facing a group of street performers, a crowd gathered around them watching them dance.

Louis leans back on the bench, crossing one leg over the other. “Oh, really?”

Harry laughs. “Yeah. I was at this party, and people were obviously drinking... some were doing some other questionable things. There was one girl who had been dragged to the party by a friend. The friend said it took a lot to convince her to come because she wasn’t really the partying type and didn’t really drink or anything. Even though you don’t have to drink to come to a party but whatever. Anyway… a few hours after they’d arrived, the girl was so drunk. At one point she got on top of one of the tables and just started dancing the macarena and she kept yelling ‘I feel so good!’” He imitates the girl with a high pitched voice and it makes Louis laugh so hard his stomach hurts. Harry waits for Louis to calm down a bit before continuing. “So anyway, I decided to write about that. Just the way she kept yelling ‘I feel so good!’ stuck with me and it became Carolina.”

Louis shakes his head. “Amazing.”

They visit an art gallery that has a lot of unique artwork and Harry seems to love every second of it. They stop by a few shops that sell lots of souvenirs and little trinkets, each buying some things here and there, and they decide to go to the beach to watch the sun set.

The sunset is breathtaking. Louis has witnessed several sunsets in his lifetime before but just being here right now, staring at the sky full of pink, orange and yellow hues swirling around like a painting, watching as the sun gives its last breath before hiding, is something truly magical. Harry makes sure to capture every moment, gasping a few times at what they’re seeing before their very eyes.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Louis breaks the awestruck silence they’re in.

Harry turns to look at him, his eyes still wide in amazement. “It really is.” He says, lifting his camera again to take another picture. It reminds Louis of the first time they met, when Harry had first caught his eye trying to make sure to take the perfect picture of his Sex on the Beach. Who would have thought just a few months later they’d be here, watching the sunset on an actual beach in Puerto Vallarta?

“Thank you.” Harry’s voice brings Louis back to the present.

“For what?” Louis asks.

Harry’s lips twitch, a smile forming on his beautiful features. “For bringing me here. Getting me out of my own thoughts and letting me explore this beautiful city with you.”

The way he punctuates the last word makes Louis’ heart pound harder. He shrugs. “Any time.”

It’s all he can really say for now, because Harry has this effect on him that leaves him speechless often. They both shift their gazes back to the sky, now a light grey. Louis never wants this day to end.

 

**XXX**

 

“Okay, so we have,” Harry pulls out a black card from the stack as everyone around waits for him to read it out loud. “‘You have my sword.’ ‘And you have my bow.’ ‘And my... blank.” Everyone scrambles to try to find the perfect white card to go with the one Harry just read out loud. They’ve been playing Cards Against Humanity for almost two hours now. It started with all of them but it’s now just Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn. They’re all pleasantly buzzed from too many margaritas but they’re having a great time.

Even Liam hasn’t been able to stop giggling at everyone’s responses and it’s just been an all around good time. Harry’s face feels warm and he might be staring at Louis for a little longer than necessary but he’s allowed to blame it on the alcohol, right?

“Okay, is everyone ready?” Harry finally shakes himself out of his Louis-filled stupor and focuses on the game they’re playing. Everyone places their white cards face down for Harry to take and he gathers them all in his hands preparing to read the results. He clears his throat.

“Alright. The black card was ‘You have my sword.’ ‘And you have my bow.’ ‘And my... blank.’” Harry picks up the first card, already laughing at what it says. “‘And my,” he giggles again, “fiery poops.” The entire room roars with laughter, “Oh, my god, that one was good. Let’s see. ‘And my... half-assed foreplay.” More laughter. “‘And my passive aggressive post it notes,” Harry turns to look at Liam. “This was yours, wasn’t it?”

Liam just shrugs but his face gives it away immediately. “And finally…” Harry looks at the card and his eyes fly over to Louis who has a smug grin. His eyes sparkle from the alcohol and probably just because they’re Louis’ eyes and they always sparkle. Harry swallows and reads, “And my firm buttocks.” His mouth goes dry but it’s probably from the alcohol. The guys laugh it off, except for Louis who is still looking at Harry, waiting for him to react or say something, probably. Harry chuckles nervously.

“So, which one do you think is funniest then?” Niall asks, getting impatient.

Harry’s teeth bite into his bottom lip and he smacks his lips. “I think I’m gonna go with the last one. The firm buttocks.”

Louis raises his arms in victory, grinning widely and the other guys groan. “Oh, come on, Harry! Fiery poops was obviously the best choice. This isn’t fair,” Niall whines.

“Oh, come on, Niall, don’t be such a sore loser,” Louis tells him.

Harry giggles to himself, picking up the empty margarita pitcher and leaving the guys to argue with themselves to make another batch. He grabs the ice and margarita mix, pouring some into the blender, then reaches over for the tequila, being more than a little generous with it.

Harry thinks about the day he’s had and how he’s one of the luckiest guys alive. He might not have made a lot more progress in the studio just yet but he thinks back to his adventure-filled evening the day before where it was just Harry and Louis, not letting himself get too stressed out about it. There was something in Louis’ eyes that made Harry believe that he had nothing to worry about and that the right song will come to him at the right time. He’s just got to be patient. So, Harry closes the lid to the blender and presses the button, making the blender come to life and mixing the delicious drink they’ve been consuming all evening.

He joins the group again with a pitcher full of lime margarita and he fills everyone’s empty glasses, moving on to another round of Cards Against Humanity. If Harry happens to steal glances in Louis’ direction, then nobody has to know.

-

Harry wakes up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth. He groans rolling over on the bed, trying not to stumble off with the sheets all tangled between his legs. He manages to throw on a t-shirt and some shorts just in case he runs into anyone trying his best not to stumble down the stairs on his way to the kitchen to fetch some water.

He turns on the light, squinting at the brightness. He reaches over to one of the cupboards that’s bound to have an empty glass or something he can use. When he finds it, he wastes no time in filling it to the brim with water. As soon as the liquid makes contact with his mouth, Harry feels instant relief. As he prepares to fill another glass, he hears something.

Harry turns the tap off and remains still, trying to listen to whatever it is that he heard. He’s not sure what it was but it was something, like music? And... there it is again. It’s keys on a piano playing a melody that Harry has never heard before but it’s beautiful. Harry hurries with what he’s doing, making sure to wash the glass he just used and puts it back where he found it before he tries his best to follow the sound, needing to know where it’s coming from.

He walks a few steps, stops to listen, then walks a few more. The sound gets louder the closer Harry seems to get to it. Harry finally realizes that it’s coming from the studio. He isn’t sure what time it is, but he remembers going to bed well past midnight and it’s still dark outside. He walks slowly, not wanting to startle whoever it is playing such a lovely song. When he stops right outside the entrance, he sees Louis hovered over the keyboard with his eyes closed. His fingers are tapping the white keys and he seems lost in a trance from the song playing. He looks so peaceful, so serene, Harry almost wants to just walk away slowly and leave him in his own little world. But he can’t.

Because this song Louis’ playing, this melody, it has become ingrained into Harry’s brain and he can’t get it out. He needs to know more about it.

“I didn’t know you played,” Harry whispers when Louis finishes playing the last note. Louis turns around slowly, his cheeks are rosy pink and he smiles shyly.

“I just like to mess around a bit here and there, nothing too big.” He shrugs like it’s nothing. But it’s not nothing.

“What was that song you just played?” Harry asks, settling himself next to Louis on the small bench he’s perched on.

“Oh... it’s nothing really. Just this melody I’ve had stuck in my head for ages,” Louis tells him, his eyes still on the keys.

“Can you, um…” Harry feels nervous but he always feels this way around Louis, though right now it feels more intense than usual. He isn’t quite sure why. Either way, he forces himself to finish his question. “Can you play it again? Like, from the beginning?”

Louis’ head snaps toward Harry, seeming to not expect him to ask him that. But either way, he takes a deep breath, his fingers hovering over the keys before he closes his eyes again, letting the keys play the music.

Harry’s head nods to the rhythm of the beat, he can feel the music coursing through his veins, playing inside of him, taking over his entire body. Harry closes his eyes, takes it all in, and lets himself go.

“ _Just stop your crying it’s a sign of the times_ …” slips out of his lips so naturally, like honey dripping from a beehive. Harry’s eyes open realizing what he’s doing but he doesn’t stop, he just decides to go with it. “ _We gotta get away from here, we gotta get away from here_ …” He sings in his deep, raspy voice.

Louis’ eyes shoot open, his mouth going wide. It morphs into a soft, encouraging smile and that’s all the permission Harry needs to keep going.

“ _Remember everything will be alright... we can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here_ …” They both grin at each other like idiots because this is it. This is the break they both needed.

“Wow,” Louis says. “We need to keep going. There’s something really good here, we can’t stop,” he tells Harry. And Harry agrees. So they continue.

Louis plays over and over while Harry sings and jots down lyrics. They laugh, they even cry, moved by the words and the music. Harry is reminded why he decided to pursue a career in music and why he decided to sign with Hanover Records. Because of this very moment right here. It’s the type of moment Harry is sure he’ll never forget, even thirty years down the line, he’ll remember the time he first heard those first notes and how they made him feel and how they inspired such a moving song.

They spend the early hours of the morning working. So long that Tabitha eventually joins them in the studio because they’d apparently missed the group breakfast. When they show her the demo they recorded of just Harry’s voice with Louis on the keyboard though, Tabitha’s reaction is priceless.

“This is it!” she exclaims. “This is the single!” Her enthusiasm comes like a second wind for Harry and, by the looks of it, for Louis, too.

Tabitha claps her hands excitedly. “This is so good, you guys. So fucking good.”

Harry and Louis look at each other with proud smiles on their faces. Tabitha’s voice interrupts their little moment.

“Now, how about you guys run to grab something to eat and we can polish this up into a record-breaking debut single.”

They grab a quick bite before they all gather back in the studio with the band. It’s like magic, the way each band member, along with Tabitha’s instruction, put the music together, like putting the pieces of a masterpiece together. Once Harry adds the vocals, it’s nearly perfect. They work nonstop until the end of their assigned studio time and by the time they stop, they’ve got a debut single.

Instead of joining everyone else for lunch, Harry decides to get some much needed sleep. Apparently Louis does the same.

“Good work today, Harry,” Louis says before they each go their separate ways.

Hearing those words come out of Louis’ mouth makes a jolt of electricity spark all the way down to Harry’s toes. He knows it’s not necessarily praise or telling him he’s been a good boy for him but it’s just the tone of Louis’ voice when he says it that does it for him. It’s the last thing he hears before he passes out on his bed.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis wakes up the next morning to find mostly everyone gone. It’s their last day in Puerto Vallarta and since both Bebe and Harry have a song written, recorded, and ready to go, Louis gave everyone the last day off. He remembers mentioning something to Niall about not waking him up if he was going anywhere but he thinks Niall should have at least let him know where he was going to be. But instead, he’s wide awake to an empty house and no idea what to do.

He decides to take advantage of a quiet house by himself though, as the entire group can be extremely rowdy at times. Louis makes himself some tea and takes his time getting ready for the day. It’s not even 10 a.m. yet. Louis wonders if the group went to explore the city, wanting to take advantage of the many attractions the beautiful city has to offer. He doesn’t blame them one bit.

Louis settles himself on the kitchen table with a cup of tea and some toast, deciding to browse quickly through his e-mails to see if he has missed anything important. He’s distracted reading one in particular, when he’s suddenly scared shitless.

“Where is everyone?” Harry’s deep, scruffy voice makes Louis flinch so hard he spills some of his tea. “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry!” Harry rushes to help, bringing some paper towels from the kitchen counter to help him clean up.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Really,” Louis insists. He mostly doesn’t want Harry to be wiping at his chest, not wanting him to notice the way his heart rate picks up at the sight of him. He grabs a hold of Harry’s wrist and looks into his eyes. “Harry, it’s okay. Thanks.”

Harry blinks, letting go so fast it’s like he’s been burned. “Okay,” he says, running a hand through his curly mess of hair looking anywhere but at Louis. “Sorry, I just wasn’t sure where everyone else went.” He turns around to grab a mug from the cupboard.

“Looks like it’s just you and me. Unless there’s anyone else here that we don’t know of,” Louis tells him. “I woke up just as confused.”

Harry hums, joining Louis at the table with a bowl of granola and a banana. “You got anything planned for today?” he asks taking a huge bite of his banana. Louis’ eyes go wide but he quickly recovers. God, those visuals. That mouth.

Louis takes a gulp of his tea to get himself together before answering. “I didn’t really have anything planned. You?”

Harry shrugs but Louis can see it on his face that there is somewhere he wants to go. “I don’t know,” he says.

Louis leans back on his chair, taking Harry in. “Where do you want to go, Harry?”

Harry’s face pinkens, obviously having something in mind. “There’s this hidden beach I wanted to visit before we leave. I was going to ask Liam if he wanted to go but he’s not here.”

Louis wonders if he’ll ever not be endeared by Harry Styles. “Alright then, let’s go,” he says with finality, standing up from his chair to put his empty cup and plate in the sink.

“Yo-you want to go?” Harry asks, sounding completely flabbergasted that Louis would offer to go with him. If he’s honest, Louis would love nothing more. He didn’t have anything in particular planned and visiting a hidden beach sounds like something Louis would be very much interested in doing.

“Of course I want to go. Now come on!” Louis claps his hands together. Harry springs up, putting his own dishes away.

“Okay, let me just go change,” he says pointing behind him.

Louis checks the time. “I’ll call a driver to pick us up. How about we meet back down here in 15 minutes?”

Harry grins, his dimple out and teeth pearly white. “Sounds like a plan,” he says before turning around and rushing up the stairs. If Louis happens to stare at the way Harry’s arse bounces as he climbs the steps then nobody has to know.

-

The driver, Manuel, picks them up and drives them down to the marina. Apparently it’s an hour-long boat ride to an island, according to the person Louis talked to on the phone to make the reservations. It also normally takes a few days in advance to reserve but it’s nothing a little extra payment can’t take care of. Louis doesn’t usually use money that way but Harry seemed really excited about the trip and Louis wanted to make it happen no matter the cost.

When they get to the boats, they’re escorted and given a life jacket. Harry and Louis sit together, and Louis can practically feel the excitement radiating off of him. Of course Harry made sure to bring his waterproof camera to document every moment, Louis can’t help but roll his eyes fondly.

The ride is nothing but entertaining. The staff blast Backstreet Boys through the speakers and start trying to make up moves for it, making everyone laugh. One of them tries to pull Harry to join them but he turns beet red and makes some sort of excuse about feeling seasick, which Louis ends up teasing him about.

By the time they get closer to Marietas Islands, one of the staff members explains over the microphone about the different types of activities that will be available once they arrive. They’ll be at the island for a few hours so they have plenty of time to try many of the activities such as snorkeling, paddleboarding, and kayaking if they’d like. They’re also told that in order to get into the hidden beach, they need to swim under the cave to get to it. Louis turns to look at Harry, eyes wide. Harry smiles in return.

“I hope you’re a good swimmer,” Harry challenges.

Louis sits up straighter. “Oh, I am,” he says.

Louis can see the cave from where they are and it’s huge. The closer they get, the more nervous Louis gets. Yes, he’s a great swimmer but he’s expected to swim under a real cave to get to the hidden beach? Is that even possible? It must be if it’s such a famous tourist destination, his own mind argues with itself. He feels Harry’s reassuring hand on his leg, as if he can hear Louis’ nervous thoughts.

“You ready?” Harry asks.

Louis nods, taking a deep breath. “Ready.”

Saying the island is breathtaking wouldn’t do it justice but Louis finds himself just staring at the cave and the clear blue water that surrounds it with the waves crashing against it.

“Wow,” Louis breathes out.

He turns to Harry when he hears the familiar shutter of the camera and Harry looks just as amazed. Louis is glad that Harry suggested this island because it feels like a must-see thing in Puerto Vallarta.

Everyone gets out of the boat and into the water once they get close enough to the cave. The cave is big; huge rocks littered with green moss and grass. As soon as Louis touches the water, he feels the cold like an electric shock. It takes him a few moments to get used to it but eventually he does. Harry is right next to him, waiting until Louis is ready to continue, so they do.

They swim and swim some more. The waves are stronger than the ones from the beach back by the rental house. They were warned that the current here would be stronger but Louis didn’t realize how strong until he’s experiencing it himself. He’s suddenly grateful for his workouts with Eric because he doesn’t know how he would be able to get through these waves otherwise.

They finally get close enough to the cave where they have to swim under, so Louis takes a deep breath before submerging himself underwater, swimming as hard and fast as he can to get through to the other side. It doesn’t take as long as he thought it would and before he knows it, he and Harry are on the other side. And wow.

They’re on the beach inside of the cave but the cave has a huge hole on top where the sun is shining down. The water looks even clearer from here and it’s just so unbelievably beautiful. The water is shallow where Louis is but the closer you get to the walls of the cave, the deeper it gets. They walk towards the middle, where there’s sand and the water is down to your ankles, to take it all in. Louis looks up to the sky, at the gaping hole in the rock above them. Harry had told him there are rumors that the hole is the result of deliberate bombings. There’s also plenty of shade in areas where the hole doesn’t reach, but Louis decides to go back into the deeper area of the water. As soon as he does, a huge wave comes crashing in. The wave is so strong, it knocks out a couple of people that were standing on the sanded area, including Harry. Louis can’t help but giggle at his shocked state, the way his wet curls flop about as soon as he gains his balance back.

Harry seems to hear him though and he comes closer to where Louis is.

“You think that was funny, huh?” Harry asks him, mock offended.

Louis shrugs. “Maybe.”

Harry scoffs and splashes Louis. Louis splashes him back and it turns into a splashing fight that turns into a weird sort of wrestling fight that ends with Louis being carried over Harry’s shoulders and dunked into the water.

When Louis comes back up for air he pretends to be upset. “Oh, you’re going to be in so much trouble,” Louis tells him, his teeth chattering from the cold water.

Harry bites his bottom lip and Louis thinks he sees his eyes go a bit dark when he says, “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been bad.” Louis thinks Harry means it in a playful manner but, instead, it comes out raspy with a hint of need. If the water weren’t so damn cold, Louis is sure his cock would have twitched in his swim trunks.

Louis can’t stop staring at Harry’s pink, plump lip and the way his teeth gnash at it. He finds himself gravitating toward him until he finally feels Harry’s breath on his face. Louis realizes they’re now merely inches apart.

Louis swallows hard and licks his lips. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to punish someone for being bad.” He says it low but in an authoritative tone he knows will drive Harry mad. Harry’s eyelids look heavy and just seconds away from closing and Louis finds himself coming closer, so close he can smell the salt water on Harry’s face. He smells like the sea and everything Louis wants right now. And maybe, just maybe, Louis can let himself get a taste. Lord knows that he never got to taste Harry’s lips on that fateful night. Though, if his lips taste anywhere close to how good his body does, Louis would consider himself the luckiest bastard in the world.

And just as he’s about to finally let himself give into this carnal need that has been calling out to him for weeks, both Harry and Louis jump when a couple of kids run around them, chasing each other and splashing water everywhere. The water hits them like the cold reminder that Louis can’t have Harry, that he shouldn’t. They break apart, looking away from the other. Harry makes some excuse about taking some more pictures and Louis lets him get away with it. He needs some time to himself to think about what he was just about to do.

-

When they get back into town, both Harry and Louis are absolutely famished so they stop by the nearest little hole-in-the-wall restaurant and eat their weight in tacos and soda. They don’t talk about the kiss that almost happened between them. In fact, Harry acts like nothing even happened and Louis isn’t sure if he should be grateful or offended by that.

“You ready to go back to LA?” Louis asks before taking another bite of his taco.

Harry takes his glass bottle of soda and takes a sip. Louis needs to look away; he doesn’t want to be thinking about the way Harry’s lips wrap around the end of the bottle as he drinks.

“I am but, at the same time, I’m not. I’m excited to head back and continue working on the rest of the album but I also would love to stay here.” Harry explains, bringing Louis back to their conversation.

Louis nods. “I get it, yeah. There’s a lot of exciting things in store.”

When they finish eating, Manuel takes them back to the house. Louis is so exhausted, his bones feel heavy and he’s dragging his feet as soon as they hit the floor. He knows he’s going to pass out as soon as his head hits the pillow tonight.

Right before they enter the house, Harry stops him, his hand warm around his wrist. Louis looks over his shoulder at Harry who’s already staring at him.

“Thank you. For today.” Harry looks down at his feet as soon as he lets Louis go, suddenly shy.

Louis smiles. “I had a lot of fun. I’m glad we went.” Harry nods and they both make their way inside.

“Look who’s back,” Niall’s voice booms through the house as soon as they walk through the threshold. “Where have you two been?”

Louis crosses his arms. “No, don’t give me that tone, Niall. Harry and I went to explore the city since you all left us behind.”

Niall rolls his eyes. “Have you ever tried to wake yourself? You start swinging as soon as someone tries to nudge you awake. Sorry but I didn’t want to get punched in the face this morning.”

Louis laughs. “Bullshit.”

Niall just shrugs and Harry speaks up. “Anyone want to go for a little evening swim?” He asks the room. Louis looks around, noticing Bebe and other people from their team sitting around on the couches, just lounging about, probably just as tired as Louis feels.

Niall shakes his head. “I wouldn’t go out there if I were you,” he warns.

Harry’s eyebrows furrow, a pout begins to form on his lips. “Why not?”

Niall turns to look at Bebe who just sort of shrugs before Niall looks back at them. “Um… Liam and Zayn are out there in their own little world... it’s been like that all day actually.”

“What?” both Harry and Louis ask at the same time. They look at each other and chuckle before their attention goes back to Niall.

Niall in return looks just as confused as them. “Yeah I have no idea what’s happening there, we’re just giving them their space, so…” He raises his arms up.

Louis glances at Harry again before saying, “Then the purpose of the trip really worked then, huh?”

Harry’s eyes meet his before he says, “Yeah. I guess so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested in the hidden beach in Marietas Islands watch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lgq7C4Z4hA), the place is breathtaking!


	4. Too Good to be Good for Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Too Good by Troye Sivan

The flight back to Los Angeles isn’t half as bad as the flight to Mexico but when Harry and Liam arrive at their apartment, they’re both completely exhausted. It’s like they need a holiday from their holiday. Even though it wasn’t really a holiday but it felt like one more often than not.

Harry has a few days off before he’s expected back in the studio, thank God. They’re going to be recording a choir for his first single, which they’ve decided to call “Sign of the Times”. Harry couldn’t be more excited as it’s the missing puzzle piece to complete the entire thing. He can’t wait to hear it all together.

Liam had been pretty quiet on their ride from the airport and now at home. Harry hasn’t asked about Zayn, and Liam hasn’t brought it up either, but Harry is dying to know what happened with them on that trip. Harry knows it’s none of his business but his curiosity is killing him. He knows he just needs to wait and Liam will eventually open up to him.

They spend the rest of the day just lounging around, catching up on their favorite shows and ordering pizza. It feels weird to have Liam around the apartment since he’s usually stuck at the library working on some project but he’s officially done with school.

Harry tries not to actively think about Louis and how they were so close to kissing. He tries not to remember the way Louis’ breath felt on his face and how his eyes were as blue as the water they were swimming in. It was so hard to pretend nothing had happened after their little moment was ruined, but Harry thinks it was for the best. They’ve put everything past them and if it had been ruined by a moment of weakness, Harry doesn’t know what he would have done. He’s relieved he doesn’t have to find out but it doesn’t make it any easier to avoid thinking about it.

It feels weird not seeing Louis every day in the studio or just lounging in the house or on the beach. Getting to see him in those tight-fitting swim trunks is one of the best gifts fate could have ever given Harry; the way his arse looked so luscious and perfect gave him plenty of wanking material to last him a lifetime. Not to mention seeing Louis after getting back from his runs, with his glistening torso that made Harry just want to lick him like a lollipop. God, he needs to stop thinking about Louis before he sports a hard on right here in front of Liam. Harry breaks from his thoughts and tries his best to focus on the latest episode of _Brooklyn Nine Nine_.

-

Harry arrives at the small cafe in a rush, pushing his hair back as it comes flying in front of his eyes. He catches sight of his sister sitting in the back corner by one of the windows waving him over with a bright smile. He smiles in return, excusing himself passing through a crowd of people no doubt trying to get through the lunch rush.

“Gemma,” Harry says as his sister gets out of her seat to greet him. They hug for a few moments. He hasn’t seen his sister in months and he always misses her when she’s gone even though they talk and text constantly. She’s in town for work and Harry couldn’t be happier to have her in the same city, even if it’s just temporarily.

“Hey, little brother. How are you?” They take their seats and Harry relaxes. There’s always something about seeing his family that just puts him at ease. He notices that Gemma has already ordered them tea and sandwiches, which he’s grateful for because he’s famished.

“I’m great,” he says, taking a sip from his tea and humming at the delightful flavor. “Sorry I’m late. I was at the studio and lost track of time.” He takes one of the crisps from his plate and pops it in his mouth. He’d been holed up in the studio since early this morning and hasn’t had anything to eat all day.

“I guess that’s okay. Look at you becoming a proper popstar right before my very eyes. I’m so proud,” she tells him playfully. Harry just rolls his eyes at her, putting another crisp in his mouth.

“Shut up. How was your flight?” He changes the subject because even though he’d love nothing more than to talk about everything he’s been working on, he hasn’t seen his sister in a long time and would rather hear about her and how she’s doing.

Gemma takes the opportunity and runs with it. She goes on and on about her flight and how she was stuck sitting next to someone who was snoring throughout most of the entire trip. Gemma lives in London and works as a journalist who occasionally travels back and forth to the States. When Harry decided to move to Los Angeles for university, his family was more than supportive but he’ll admit he misses his mum and sister terribly, even though they keep in touch often. He listens to Gemma carefully, happy to have her right in front of him.

They eat lunch and catch up. She asks him about the album and even though the album takes up most of his life, he indulges her to curve some of her curiosity.

“We’ve started recording a couple of songs. Ever since we got back from Mexico, we’ve been playing around with some ideas we came up with over there. It’s turning out great,” Harry explains.

Gemma seems genuinely happy for him, telling him she can’t wait to hear the finished product.

“So what about boys. Any boys you’ve been fancying lately that I should know about?” Her eyebrow quirks curiously, making Harry chuckle.

Gemma was the first person he ever came out to five years ago, at the tender age of sixteen. She’s been supportive as hell ever since, and she’s often the one Harry goes to when he’s having boy troubles. Gemma was there for Harry’s first heartbreak when Logan Thompson dumped him for the footie captain.

Harry hasn’t told Gemma about Louis and he’s not quite sure why. It’s like he wants to keep those moments with Louis sacred somehow, like if he tells someone he’ll suddenly wake up and realize it’s all been a figment of his imagination. His brain is weird like that.

“No, not really. I’ve been so busy with the album, there’s been no time for boys,” Harry tells her, avoiding her gaze by taking a bite of his sandwich. She doesn’t say anything and, when she remains quiet, he finally chances a glance at her. She’s got her arms crossed and is looking at him pointedly. “What?” he asks with a mouthful of food.

“You’re lying to me,” she says matter-of-factly.

“What?” Harry tries to play dumb but he already knows it isn’t going to work. Gemma knows him better than anyone and can read him like the palm of her hand. He should have known better than to try to lie to her.

“You’re full of shit. Now tell me the truth,” she says, her gaze on him unwavering.

There’s a beat of silence between them before he finally breaks. He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, fine!” He drops what’s left of his sandwich on the plate. “I may or may not have a huge crush on my boss. The CEO of the label.”

Gemma’s eyes go comically wide. “Holy shit, Haz. You aren’t messing around this time, huh?”

Harry laughs, throwing a crisp at his sister. “Shut up. He’s so hot, okay? Like,” he sighs, “We sort of... almost kissed in Mexico,” he admits and, God, it feels so good to say that out loud. He’s been keeping it to himself ever since it happened.

“What? Really?”

“Yeah... At least, I think so? His face was like this close to mine,” Harry puts his hand right in front of his face for emphasis.

“Wow. Well, good luck with that one then,” Gemma tells him.

Harry laughs. “I don’t need luck because nothing is going to happen,” he tells her. Though somehow, even Harry doesn’t really believe those words when they come out of his mouth but he doesn’t let himself dwell on that.

“Whatever you say, little brother,” Gemma says with a smug smile on her face.

Harry really wishes she wouldn’t.

 

**XXX**

 

“Two words: Christmas showcase,” Louis announces. He’s got several pairs of bored eyes staring at him, like they’d rather be anywhere else, but he’s gotten used to it ever since he accepted his position as CEO. The board of directors don’t really give a fuck about anything but making money and, so far, Louis’ pitch hasn’t really told them how it’s going to make them richer. He trudges on. “I was thinking we can have Harry and Bebe do a set where they perform a couple of songs, maybe a cover and their singles. We invite the media, maybe artists from our sister labels to help us hype things up, get people excited. We let the media write reviews just in time for the release of their singles. I think it would be great.”

By the time he’s done explaining, several of the members’ interests seems to have piqued. They look like they’re finally catching on to what Louis is trying to pitch to them.

There’s a few beats of silence before Robert, the head of the board, speaks up. “I think that’s a good idea, Louis,” he says with a tone of indifference. Everyone else around the conference table seems to agree as they nod their heads in ascent. Louis’ stomach flips excitedly.

“Get us a guest list and budget by the end of the day tomorrow for approval,” Robert tells him.

Louis lets out a relieved sigh. He’d been planning his pitch to the board all week with tons of encouragement from Niall, who kept insisting it was a great idea, but the board is completely unpredictable, especially when it comes to Louis’ ideas. Sometimes he wonders why he was chosen to head the label when they seem to have very little faith in him but he doesn’t let himself dwell on that too much. He’s excited to get the planning started for this showcase, which is only just a few weeks away.

Louis gets his phone out to call Niall and tell him to set up a meeting with Bebe, Harry, and their teams so they can start the preparations. They’ll need all the time they have to get ready.

-

“A Christmas showcase? But that leaves us with, like, no time to prepare…” Harry’s worried gaze meets Louis’. Everyone else sitting in their meeting looks just as apprehensive about Louis’ announcement about the event.

Louis wasn’t expecting them to react this way. He thought they’d be just as excited as he was to do this but he watches Harry and Bebe exchange nervous glances with each other.

“Look. I know this seems a bit of a short notice but I know we can do it,” Louis addresses them. “I know you guys are more than capable. It’s just a few songs you’ll need to perform. One of them you both have already recorded. You can even do a cover, if that helps.”

At that suggestion, Harry seems to relax a bit. “I guess you’re right. Tabitha and I were about to record another song for the album. I think it would be a good one to perform at the showcase, too.”

Louis grins, “Yes! That’s that spirit I’m looking for. Thank you, Harry.” Harry smiles, tilting his head down.

“Yeah, I guess Harry’s right. I can see what I can get together,” Bebe pipes up. “Besides, this is our chance to put ourselves out there, right? Show the media what’s coming.”

“That’s right,” Niall joins in. “You’re gonna blow their socks off. They’re not gonna know what hit them.”

“Okay, great,” Louis brings their attention all back. “I’m gonna have Kera come up with potential outfits for both of you. I want us to have a dress rehearsal before the event as well. No song will be performed without Niall’s or my approval, alright?”

The artists and their teams all nod in agreement. Louis claps his hands together. “Alright, great. Let’s keep in touch and start planning.” He dismisses them and they all get out of their seats, going to where they need to be.

Louis notices that Harry remains in his seat, his hands clasped together with his chin rested on them.

“Can I help you, Harry?” Louis asks, not being able to take the way Harry’s staring at him.

Harry bites on his bottom lip before smirking. “I wanted to talk to you about my set. Particularly about what cover I should do.”

Louis sets his iPad to the side, walking closer to where Harry is. “That’s easy. You should do the cover of ‘The Chain’.”

Harry’s nose scrunches, his lips forming a cute little pout that makes Louis just want to reach out and smooth over but he refrains, as hard as it is. “Really?”

“Definitely.”

Harry sighs. “I don’t know… We’ve only performed it once, you know? That night you and Niall saw us was our first time. I just... I feel like I should do one I’ve done loads of times, something more comfortable since I’ll be performing two other brand new songs. My cover of ‘Call Me Maybe’ is my most popular one on Youtube.”

Louis plops himself on the seat next to Harry, twisting his chair to face him. He places a reassuring hand on Harry’s forearm, hoping it conveys what he’s about to tell him. “Look, Harry. When I saw you performing that night…” He licks his lips and swallows, trying to formulate the right words so he doesn’t come out sounding like a complete and utter twat. “When I heard you performing that night at Multiply, I’ve never been so moved by a performance as much as I was by your show. I literally had one foot out the door about to go home and then I heard your voice… heard you sing. I heard you before I ever saw you and the feeling I got when I heard those first few notes, Harry, I’ll never forget that.”

Harry’s lips are parted and he’s looking at Louis, so sweet and vulnerable, it feels like this is an important moment, somehow. Louis scans the room and realizes they’re now alone in the conference room. He backs away, letting go of Harry’s arm and taps his fingers on the table instead.

“I mean… I just think that the cover you did was amazing. And I usually hate it when people try to do covers of songs,” Louis clears his throat trying to change the mood to a more easy going one.

Harry chuckles. “Right. Well, I’ll cover ‘The Chain’ then. I guess it’s all just hitting me. How big of a deal this all is. I hope people like what they hear.”

“People are going to love it, I promise you that. And I don’t normally make such promises,” Louis tells him.

“If you say so, Lou.” Harry laughs so airily, Louis almost misses the little nickname.

“I do say so. Now, get out of here and go record me a song,” Louis says, patting Harry on the shoulder. “You’re going to smash it,” he assures him one last time.

Harry dimples, his eyes flying up to meet Louis’. “I’ll do my best.”

Harry sounds like he’s making a promise of his own.

 

**XXX**

 

Harry groans when he steps out in what feels like the millionth outfit he’s tried on today.

“Kera, I look like such a twatwaffle,” he whines looking at himself in the mirror. He’s wearing a mustard yellow turtleneck with a red Gucci sweater vest and pinstriped trousers. He stretches his arms out. He feels like he can barely move in so much clothing. “I’m not gonna be able to move around much in this either,” he points out.

Kera, his appointed stylist, lets out an exasperated breath. “Yeah... you’re right.” She shifts her weight to one leg, resting a hand on her hip and bringing her index finger from the other hand against her lip, deep in thought. Suddenly, her face lights up and Harry can practically see the light bulb next to her head. “Oh, my God, I know just the thing. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner!” she yelps as she rushes to the back of the room where Harry assumes all the clothes are.

Meanwhile, Harry takes off the horrid sweater vest and shirt and, by the time Kera returns, he’s in nothing but his pants. She’s got a garment bag in her hands and the brightest smile he’s seen on her all day.

“Alright, let’s have it.” Harry waves her over impatiently, wanting to see what she’s got in her arms.

Kera unzips the bag slowly, too slowly for Harry’s taste if he’s honest, before she reveals what’s underneath.

“Oh, my God! I love it!” Harry claps his hands together. “That’s it. That’s the outfit I’m performing in.”

Kera pulls it out for Harry to take a better look at and it’s gorgeous. It’s a forest green jumpsuit with glittery gold pinstripes and designs on the lapels. Harry can already picture himself in it before he even tries it on. He takes the garment giddily into the dressing room, putting it on carefully. As soon as he steps back out, Kera gasps.

“It’s perfect on you, Harry,” she tells him, watching him through the mirror.

Harry runs his hands down the fabric. It needs minor alterations but it’s almost like a glove on his body. He idly wonders what Louis will think. Harry hopes he approves.

-

 

_Thump, thump. Thump, thump._

Harry’s heart is beating so hard he can hear it in his ears. He closes his eyes and takes a few deep, cleansing breaths. He’s sitting in his hotel room, waiting for hair and makeup. The sound of his calming music playlist plays like a soundtrack in the background, drowning out his thoughts; his very nerve-wracking thoughts.

He’s never been one to shy away from performing. In fact, performing has been the thing that has come easiest to him, like it’s second nature. But today, being here in this place and thinking about how tonight can either make or break him, well, that’s a whole lot of pressure. Harry inhales slowly and holds it for a few seconds before exhaling.

Liam bursts through the door. He stops when he sees Harry, concern painting his features. “Hey, you okay?” He takes a seat next to Harry on the couch, placing a comforting hand on his leg.

“I’m fine. It’s just all hitting me, I think,” Harry explains, turning over to look at his best friend. Liam has always been a very handsome man but today there’s this glow to him, Harry can’t quite describe. It looks good on him, seeing how hard he’s been working for Harry’s best interest. He wonders if his boyfriend Anton might have anything to do with it, or maybe it’s the fact he’s now officially graduated. Harry’s sure that would make any person feel relief like no other. He wouldn’t really know, though.

Liam’s hand squeezing his leg brings him back from his thoughts. At that moment, Pete, his hair and makeup person, and Kera walk through the door with all sorts of things in their hands. Harry didn’t realize how much it takes to get ready for a performance. He’s only performing a few songs, for Christ’s sake.

Louis and Niall had booked them all hotel rooms at the location where the event was going to take place to make it easier for them to get styled and ready. They also had insisted they were going to be exhausted by the end of it all and it would be best if they just stayed the night here. Harry has no problem with that whatsoever since the expense isn’t coming out of his pocket. Plus, if there’s an open bar, he is looking forward to that after he’s done with all of his obligations.

Once Pete and Kera take over, everything passes by in a blur. Harry’s worries are temporarily forgotten getting caught up in conversations with them about nonsensical things. It really helps Harry get himself out of his head, and he nearly falls asleep as Pete brushes makeup onto his face.

Just as he’s finishing up and getting his outfit ready, Zayn and a photographer walk into the room.

“Hey, Harry, we just need to take a few behind the scenes pictures. We won’t take long, just keep doing what you’re doing,” Zayn informs him. Harry doesn’t miss the glance that Zayn and Liam exchange but he knows better than to bring anything up right now. He stores it inside of his mind for a later time instead.

The photographer takes a few pictures while Kera is helping Harry get into his jumpsuit. Pete retouches his hair a bit once he’s all buttoned up. Kera runs a travel sized steamer over his outfit to get rid of any wrinkles that might have appeared during the process.

They’re finally ready to go and Harry gets escorted out of his room and into a lift. He’s back to hearing his heart beating loudly in his chest but he figures he’ll just have to get used to it until he gets over his performance. They arrive at the designated floor and they all walk toward the ballroom they reserved for this special event.

There’s a big sign right outside decorated in red, green and white that reads “Hanover Records Presents: Bebe Rexha and Harry Styles”. The sight of his name next to Bebe’s and the label makes Harry’s stomach swoop in anticipation.

When Harry walks inside the ballroom he’s taken aback by all the lighting and decorations. It’s very elegant and festive, with a lot of Christmas lights hanging all throughout the room seeming to be the only source of lighting along with the little tea candles in the middle of the high top tables. He’s starting to feel his nerves melt away a little at a time as he takes everything in.

“Feeling better?” Liam breaks him away from his thoughts.

Harry grins, looking back at his best friend. “Loads better.”

Liam pats him on the back. “That’s it. Come on, let’s go get a drink before all the snooty people begin to show up.”

Harry looks around the room on his way to the bar with Liam and notices that Louis is nowhere to be found. In fact, it’s been days since he’s last seen Louis. Harry has been completely caught up in the studio with the band and Tabitha, he’s been practically living there. He didn’t let himself leave until they had Kiwi, the new song he’s performing tonight, ready and recorded. Louis would usually stop by the studio when he could to check in but it’s been days since he’s done that. Harry would be lying if he said he didn’t miss him.

Harry takes the drink Liam gives him without question and takes a large gulp. It’s not long before the room starts to fill up with people everywhere. Harry has no idea who any of them are but he assumes they’re all important people if Louis invited them to come. Before it starts to get too crowded, Harry excuses himself to the toilet, needing one more small moment alone before he has to face everyone and put on a show.

He takes a wee, washes his hands and splashes a bit of cold water on his face, trying not to ruin his makeup, knowing full well that Pete will have him castrated. He looks into the mirror and takes a long, deep breath, closing his eyes and counting to ten before drying his hands with a paper towel and going back out there.

Liam finds him and puts his hand on his back to lead him through the crowd of people. “You have someone from Billboard who wants to talk to you. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with a question, or anything just look at me and let me know and I’ll take care of it, okay?”

Harry has seen Liam at work before but right now it’s like another person has taken over. Someone with more power and authority who is looking out for Harry’s best interest. Not that Liam never looked out for him before but he’s put on this professional mask, taking his job very seriously which Harry appreciates because it helps him focus on the task at hand. He’ll never stop being grateful to be sharing this experience with his best friend because Harry doesn’t know what he’d do without him.

The first few interviews are a breeze. Harry is nothing but courteous, making sure to shake everyone’s hand that he meets, introducing himself and answering their questions. No one asks anything out of the ordinary in his opinion. They mostly ask about his music and how he came to being signed under Hanover Records. They had discussed ahead of time with Louis and Niall that they’d be honest about being discovered playing an open mic night where both Bebe and Harry were performing at. Louis said it would cater to the public’s interest seeing that they’re just like everyone else, which Harry agreed with. He doesn’t think he’d feel comfortable saying anything different.

“So, can you tell us a little about your debut single 'Sign of the Times'? What should we expect from it?” Another music journalist asks Harry.

“Erm. It’s a song that means very much to me. It’s a very powerful song, I think. It actually made me tear up when I first recorded it, it was very cathartic,” Harry tells them. He wants to tell them he’ll never forget about the first time he heard the piano and how he and Louis shared such a special moment between them that was almost magical. That would lead to many more questions they don’t have any business knowing.

Before he can say anything else, he feels a firm hand on his back. “Excuse me, but we need to cut this a little short. We need Mr. Styles backstage.”

Harry turns his head and, sure enough, it’s Louis. Louis who is looking like sex on legs tonight, if he’s honest. He’s got his hair slicked back into a gorgeous quiff and a suit that is tailored perfectly to his body shape, accentuating his curves in all the right places. Harry wants to lick him. He really does. But he doesn’t. He bites his lips and smiles, nodding at the journalist and excusing himself as Louis guides him in the direction he assumes is backstage.

“Louis, hey,” Harry says, sounding out of breath. That’s what Louis does to him though, so he’s gotten used to it.

Louis’ eyes meet his and they’re crinkled at the corners from smiling. “Hey, Harry. You look really nice tonight,” he says, eyes trailing down Harry’s body, making Harry heat up even more. The way Louis is looking at him, Harry swears he looks like he wants to eat him right here and now.

Harry swallows hard. “Thanks. So do you. I... I like your hair like that.” He wants to say it’s sexy but he stops himself. He hasn’t been drinking enough to blame his honest words on the alcohol tonight.

Louis smirks but doesn’t say anything in return so Harry decides to pay attention to where he’s going instead; the last thing he needs is to trip over something and fall on his face in front of Louis before he goes on stage.

As soon as they arrive backstage, Pete and Kera are on Harry making sure his hair, makeup, and outfit are fresh before he goes on. He gets his in-ears and Liam gives him an encouraging pat on the back.

“You got this,” Liam tells him, a bright grin on his face. Harry can’t help but mirror it. The nerves are back but this time they’re more excited, like little butterflies fluttering in the pit of his stomach.

Harry’s eyes roam around the room. He sees Sarah, Clare, Mitch, and Adam all getting ready with their own equipment. They seem just as excited as he is, which helps him feel even better about the show they’re about to put out there. He doesn’t see Louis anywhere and Harry wonders where he went but then he hears a muffled sound of someone on the microphone letting everyone know that the show is about to start. Louis tells everyone that he hopes they enjoy the show and announces Harry and the band.

“I’d like to introduce you to a young man that has simply blown us away from the first moment we saw him sing a single note. Here with us tonight to perform his new single 'Sign of the Times', please give a warm welcome to Harry Styles.” Louis sounds so formal, it throws Harry off for a moment until he realizes Louis just called him up to the stage so he springs into action.

Bright. It’s so bright Harry feels nearly blinded, squinting at the stage lights as soon as he steps on stage. He’s got his guitar strapped to his chest and he’s thankful he can’t see the audience. He can’t see the people that are about to make or break his career with just a song.

Harry takes a deep, calming breath before approaching the microphone, his eyes adjusting to the lighting and he waves.

“Hello, I’m Harry. This is my band and we’re going to sing a few songs for you. But first, I’d like to play you my debut single. This is 'Sign of the Times'.” He realizes that maybe he should have waited to say something after the song, since he pretty much just repeated what Louis said. He shakes those thoughts and tries to focus.

As soon as he hears the first few notes of Clare’s keyboard, it’s like the audience disappears and all that’s left is him. So he closes his eyes and begins to sing.

Suddenly, it’s like everything comes back to him like muscle memory. The lyrics flow out of him like the air he breathes, slow and melodic. His fingers touch the strings of his guitar while he strums as the song builds. Before he knows it, he’s on the bridge of the song. His throat hurts and he knows he’s going to need to drink some water when he’s done but it’s so worth it because everything sounds almost perfect, up until the very last note. It’s quiet for a beat before the roar of applause comes and Harry grins, putting his hands together and bowing his head as a thank you.

He takes a sip of the water bottle by his mic stand before he says, “We have a couple of more songs for you.This one is a little more upbeat. We hope you like it. This is 'Kiwi'.”

Harry takes his guitar and sets it on the empty stand by Adam before he comes back to the microphone. Sarah counts to three and begins the drums.

“ _She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes_ …”

This song is a lot more upbeat. Definitely a change of pace from the previous song and Harry hopes the audience enjoys it as much as he loved writing and recording it. The lights flash to the beat of the music, in all sorts of color patterns. Harry takes advantage of the stage, making his way back and forth across it, jumping around. At one point he even drops to his knees and screams the lyrics.

When he comes back up he puts a hand on his hip and leans his weight on one leg posing, the song winding down but still going just as hard. By the time Sarah hits the cymbal the last time for this song, the stage goes dark and the audience roars with applause. Harry is out of breath, panting and overheated. He can feel the sweat trickling down his forehead, he has no doubt that his makeup is coming off but he doesn’t even care because he feels that he just gave one of the best performances of his life. The air feels charged with something he can’t quite put his finger on but, whatever it is, he basks in it and continues on to the next song.

“Thank you so much. You all have been very lovely to me tonight. We’ve got one more song for you and it’s a cover. This is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”

Mitch begins the guitar riff while Harry takes another quick sip of his water. Harry bobs his head to the beat that Sarah is playing on the drums.

“ _Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise_...”

He claps his hands and continues to sing, the audience joining in which only eggs Harry on. By the time they get to the end of the song, people are still clapping and moving their heads or swaying along. Harry takes that as a very good sign.

He thinks it’s safe to say that tonight was a success and he smirks to himself as soon as the lights go down and the audience applauds.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis is absolutely swamped the days leading up to the Christmas showcase. Not only does he have meetings and endless conference calls, he also has an artist who is recording and media he needs to contact to invite to this thing if he wants the event to even be a success.

It all comes with long hours in the office, so much so that Louis even considers just bringing an air mattress and a change of clothing because he finds it pretty pointless to just go home to sleep and come back in just a few hours. But he doesn’t because he convinces himself that he needs to be spending some time away from the office because he’s not a hermit.

The closer the event gets, the more he and Niall look like headless chickens, running around the office trying to make sure everything is in order. There’s caterers, and florists, and decorations, and so many things Louis hadn’t even considered would be necessary to pull off an event like this. Louis almost just wants to call the whole thing off and say it was a mistake to begin with. But he doesn’t because he knows this can be a really good thing for both Bebe and Harry.

Louis hates that all of this chaos is keeping him away from the studio. He had tried to stop by when he could to see how the recording and writing had been going but, for the past week or so, Louis has hardly even had time for a wee break, let alone enough time to stop by the studio to see Harry. He convinces himself it’s better this way because he and Harry have been spending a lot of time together and it’s good to keep some distance from each other to keep him from getting too close. Louis has had enough close calls with him and he doesn’t want that to cause them to get distracted, especially since nothing can happen between them.

The day of the event, Louis makes sure he’s got a room booked at the hotel because he plans on just heading upstairs at the end of it all and passing out until his body catches up on all the sleep he’s missed these past few weeks. He checks into his room and takes a long, hot shower. He has a quick wank, because he can use a bit of stress relief. Tonight is a big night and if it’s not successful, Louis thinks the label is pretty much screwed. But he has a good feeling about it, though he doesn’t want to do anything to jinx it. Pete stops by his room to do his hair really quick before he has to go see Harry and help him get ready. Louis is tempted to tell him to wish him luck on his behalf but he doesn’t because that would seem kind of weird, wouldn’t it?

After putting on his suit and making sure he’s presentable enough, he heads downstairs to the ballroom. He feels like he’s being pulled in all sorts of directions to deal with different requests and by the time he’s done he realizes people have already started to arrive. There’s journalists, colleagues from sister labels, artists from those labels, and even members from the board. Louis greets people left and right, welcoming them and putting on a fake smile for them, knowing half of them don’t even know who he is or even care but he has to show them Hanover Records is still very much active and thriving.

Louis is caught in the middle of a conversation with the insufferable Perez Hilton when Niall interrupts them and pulls Louis out of it. “Excuse me, but I need Mr. Tomlinson for an urgent matter.”

Niall sounds so serious that Louis becomes concerned and as soon as they’re out of earshot he turns to his best friend. “What’s wrong, Niall?”

Niall walks them towards the bar, ordering them a couple of drinks. Niall's face softens and he smiles. “Nothing’s wrong, just wanted to get you out of the claws of Perez Hilton,” he explains, lifting his glass of whiskey and taking a sip. He sets it back down and says, “Plus, you look like you need a drink, man. Just relax, everything is going to be great.”

Louis’ shoulders relax and he laughs. He takes his own glass and savors the bitter taste of the alcohol as it travels down his throat. It’s much needed and appreciated. Louis lets out a breath.

“You’re right. I’m just... I don’t know. What if it all turns into a disaster?”

Niall rolls his eyes. “It’ll be fine. Harry and Bebe are amazing and they’re going to smash it.”

Niall sounds so confident and looks so sure that Louis believes him, but he still downs the rest of his drink in one go.

Louis leans on the bar and orders another drink, promising himself it will be his last one until after Harry performs. His eyes scan the room and he watches as people go on about their conversations. He sees Bebe talking to a journalist from MTV and then his eyes catch sight of Harry.

Holy shit.

Louis knows he approved Harry’s outfit before but he didn’t see it on him properly. The green jumpsuit fits him so well, so fitted against his lean body, that Louis can see a hint of his muscles and it makes his mouth go dry. He’s talking to a reporter and he has his attention on her, seeming focused on answering whatever question he’s asking. When Louis checks the time, he realizes that it’s almost time for Harry to perform.

He finishes off his drink and excuses himself before walking across the room to where Harry is. He lingers just a few feet away, wanting to let him finish what he’s saying about the new single before he swoops in to interrupt and get Harry backstage.

Louis can’t help himself but tell Harry he looks nice, but he wasn’t expecting Harry to compliment him right back and he instantly feels his cheeks heat up when he does. As soon as they get backstage everything becomes a blur. Louis gets pulled into some type of wardrobe crisis with Niall and Bebe and he doesn’t have any time to wish Harry luck before he goes up. By the time the issue is resolved, it’s his turn to go on stage to introduce Harry and the band.

As soon as Harry emerges from backstage, the lights are on him and he’s glowing. He has this magnetic pull to him that makes people want to keep their eyes on him at all times. And so Louis does. As soon as the first notes of “Sign of the Times” begin, Harry closes his eyes and it’s like he’s shutting out the entire room and it’s just him and the band. Louis feels entranced by it, feeling like he’s the only one in this room watching Harry. It brings him back to that time, to that moment where he first heard that deep, soulful voice. The way it tugged at his soul and how Louis felt his life change forever getting to hear Harry’s music. It’s like a privilege, getting to watch Harry on stage and sing from his heart. Because that’s what it feels like: an intimate encounter with Harry Styles.

Louis doesn’t realize the song is over until the people around him are clapping and he startles a little before joining them in celebrating this amazing moment. The moment that Harry Styles changed music, forever.

Louis’ gaze doesn’t waver from Harry, especially when he begins to sing “Kiwi”. Louis thinks back to that first night they met at the club and how Harry provided him with his safeword that is now the title to one of his songs that will be on his album permanently. He thinks about how even though Louis got one night with Harry, he wasn’t able to really know him, to see what his limits are and what really makes him go under. Since they didn’t do much more than a bit of bondage, Louis didn’t get to see what it’s like to care for Harry after an intense scene. He didn’t get to whisper sweet nothings into his ear and tell him what a good boy he was, or make sure he had a snack and something to drink. Louis is suddenly filled with this need to do those things for Harry, to protect him and look after him. This man, standing on the stage, making everyone in the room fall in love with him. Louis needs to claim him, needs to get his hands, his mouth on him now.

Louis closes his eyes to calm himself down, taking a deep, long breath. Harry’s finishing up his cover of “The Chain” and that need is still there. It’s like a spark that’s been ignited, and he feels it all throughout his body, from his head all the way down to the tips of his toes.

Louis strides over to the bar to get another drink since Harry’s set is only seconds away from ending and he needs to get out of his head, needs to get rid of these thoughts; the filthy thoughts that are going to be the end of him if he listens to them. He can’t... he shouldn’t get involved with his artist, he knows this. Louis just doesn’t see a way that this will end well. Taking the glass to his lips, he takes a sip, savoring the liquid and just thinks.

Louis looks up and it’s like he can feel Harry’s eyes on him and, sure enough, from across the room he’s watching him. A smirk on his lips, his eyes deep and thoughtful as if maybe, just maybe, he might be thinking the same thing Louis has been going over in his own mind. There’s no way though…

Without looking away, Harry approaches, slowly because he’s being stopped by people shaking his hand and probably telling him how amazing he was. Because he really was, Harry is one of the most amazing people Louis has ever met and he feels like his resolve is close to breaking the closer Harry gets.

Louis feels his blood pumping at record speed, his ears ringing by the time Harry is in front of him. They don’t say anything, it’s like they’re communicating telepathically with the way they gaze at each other. Harry sticks his bottom lip out, taking it between his teeth, the way that drives Louis wild, and Harry has to know what it does to him. Harry’s eyes glisten in the lights, and it’s just so fucking unfair the way Louis is expected to keep his hands, his mouth away from this gorgeous man. Louis swallows hard, about to say something, anything to break this sort of bubble they’ve put themselves in. But, before Louis can manage to get any words out, Harry leans in, so, so close, he can feel Harry’s hot breath on his face and like steam about to push Louis over the edge.

Harry’s breath makes its way to Louis’ ear and Louis can hear him take a sharp intake of breath before he says, “Daddy, I need you.”

As soon as those words are out for Louis to hear, all bets are off. Louis feels everything that was holding him back, that was keeping him at a safe distance from Harry, melt away completely. Louis takes a hold of Harry’s wrist, his grip firm and steady.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says with no room for Harry to argue, pulling him through the crowd and away from the ballroom.


	5. When You're Close I Feel the Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Powerful by Major Lazer and Ellie Goulding

Hot. 

Everything feels hot and stuffy. 

The lift dings as it arrives at what Harry guesses is the floor Louis’ room is located. Harry is too into his head, too focused on just trying to breathe and keep his heartbeat at a normal level because holy shit. This is really happening. For a moment Harry thinks he might be dreaming, that all of his fantasies have all become too much, so much, that he’s getting confused about what’s real and what’s not. But then he feels Louis’ firm hand clutching to his wrist, which he hasn’t let go of since the moment he pulled Harry out of the ballroom, and it’s grounding, reminding him he’s in fact  _ not _ dreaming. The man next to him is Louis Tomlinson and they’re going to his room. Harry lets out a long exhale, because he still can’t believe it’s really happening.

Louis pulls him along, he fumbles with his keycard with his free hand, the other still gripping to Harry. As if Harry is really going to go anywhere. Not a chance in the world.

Once inside, Louis locks the door behind him finally letting go of Harry’s wrist. Louis steps up behind him and places his hands on Harry’s hips, guiding him until they stop in front of a mirror against the wall.

Harry’s eyes meet Louis’ in the mirror. He can see how Louis’ pupils are dilated, no trace of blue in them, and he’s looking at him with so much want, Harry has never felt this desired by someone before.

Louis’ hands let go of his hips, his fingers trailing up the sides of Harry’s torso, sending shivers throughout his body, until they stop on his shoulders. 

Harry doesn’t realize he’s got his eyes closed until Louis says, “Open your eyes. I want you to see yourself.” His voice is raspier than Harry has every heard it and it goes straight to his dick, already getting hard.

Harry opens his eyes, seeing his own reflection. His face is flushed, partly from performing but mostly from what Louis does to him. Louis begins to unbutton Harry’s jumpsuit, button by button, so slowly it nearly drives Harry absolutely mad. When he gets to the last one he slides the fabric off Harry’s shoulders and Harry helps by stepping out of it. Louis steps away for a few seconds to place it neatly on the chair behind them. When Louis comes back he brings a hand to Harry’s jaw, tilting his head to the mirror, making him look at his own reflection.

“Look at how gorgeous you are,” Louis says.

Harry is completely naked, he had no pants on underneath his jumpsuit and he’s completely bare, exposed in front of Louis. He can feel Louis’ body looming behind him, getting goosebumps every time any part of Louis makes contact with him. Harry does his best to just keep breathing and be good for Louis.

Louis lets go of Harry’s chin. “Stay still. Don’t move,” he commands before disappearing behind Harry. 

Harry isn’t sure what Louis is up to until he feels Louis’ lips brush the bottom of his spine. He works his way up, each kiss feels hotter, like a brand against Harry’s skin Louis is claiming as his own. Harry’s knees go weak, he almost feels like he’s about to lose his balance when he feels Louis’ soft and firm hands on his waist, keeping him in place.

Louis drops a kiss to the back of Harry’s neck and Harry can feel the little hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. Each kiss is feathery soft and Harry finds it hard to keep his eyes open.

Louis kisses Harry on his temple. “I’ll be right back. I want you in this same spot when I get back,” he says, and then he’s gone.

Harry feels his pulse rabbiting, closing his eyes, counting in his head, trying to not get so overwhelmed. They haven’t even kissed and he already feels like he’s losing his damn mind. Harry feels like screaming in frustration, at himself and at Louis for dragging this out and teasing the hell out of him even though he secretly loves it.

Harry isn’t sure how much time has passed by the time Louis returns. But when he does, he’s naked, his half hard cock bouncing around between his legs, walking back behind Harry with what Harry hopes are supplies in his hand. If Louis doesn’t fuck him after all of this, Harry feels he might actually die.

“Hands against the mirror, please,” Louis says. Harry complies easily, putting both of his hands against the mirror above his head.

Sure enough, Louis opens a small, travel sized bottle of lube and pours some into his fingers. Harry’s entire being thrums with excitement, the anticipation building so high he might actually explode with it.

Right as Louis is about to bring his hand to what Harry assumes is his arse, since he can’t see from where he is looking at their reflection, Louis pauses. 

His eyes meet Harry’s in the mirror. “What’s your safeword, sweetheart?”

Harry feels he might just melt into a puddle of goo right here on the floor at the sound of the pet name that comes out of Louis’ lips. Harry inhales before he responds.

“Kiwi.”

Louis’ lips form into a smirk. “That’s right, baby. Remember to use it if you need to, okay?”

Harry nods before remembering he needs to use his words. “Yes. Yes, Daddy.”

Louis doesn’t say anything but instead uses one finger to prod at Harry’s hole. It catches Harry a little off guard, because he was too distracted by Louis’ eyes to realize what he was doing, but as soon as he feels the digit enter him, he moans. Loud.

“That’s it, darling. Let me hear you,” Louis says as he continues pushing in, slowly but with purpose. 

Louis pushes in, then slowly pulls out. Every movement is excruciatingly slow. So slow that Harry wants to just scream and tell Louis he wants more, that he can take it. But he doesn’t because he needs to show Louis he can be good. After a few more thrusts with his index finger, Louis finally, finally pushes in a second finger. The stretch feels good and it doesn’t hurt one bit. The rhythm continues slow and steady as Louis works Harry open, scissoring his fingers in and out of him. 

Harry’s whines are becoming desperate. He finds himself having to bite his lips to keep himself from begging Louis to just fuck him already. He moans loudly after one particular thrust, Louis’ fingers reaching his spot. At last, a third finger joins the others and Harry groans in relief at how good it feels, how he’s only that much closer to getting to come. Harry can’t help but fuck himself on Louis’ fingers and he doesn’t realize how greedy he’s being until Louis stops him.

“Don’t get greedy.” His hand comes up to Harry’s hip to keep him still. Harry almost protests but he stops himself just as he’s about to. 

“I’m sorry,” he says. 

Harry is hot all over. His skin is dewy from sweat, his hands leaving imprints behind, but he doesn’t even care. He stares at his reflection and he almost doesn’t recognize himself with how fucked out he already looks.

Louis pulls his fingers out of him and Harry whines at the empty feeling but he looks over his shoulder, his hands still on the mirror, watching Louis placing the condom on with careful ease. He pours lube generously over it, holding the base of it as he does. It takes everything in Harry not to groan at the sight.

When Louis looks up, he shakes his head. “Eyes on the mirror. Don’t move.”

Harry’s head snaps back to look at Louis’ reflection in the mirror. Louis takes his hip with one hand while holding his dick with the other. He leans in to Harry’s ear.

“I want you to watch yourself as I fuck you, okay, baby? Look at how beautifully you take my cock.”

Before Harry can respond, before he can even say ‘Yes, Daddy’, Louis is nudging his way inside of him. The intrusion makes Harry's explode. H e watches himself, mouth wide, and eyes rolling back, gasping as soon as Louis’ cock enters him. He’s almost tempted to close his eyes and savor the feeling but he was ordered to keep his eyes on the mirror so that’s what he’s doing. He looks a right mess with his face flushed red and sticky with sweat, his curls scattered about, some sticking to his forehead. His eyes are dark, Harry can’t see any trace of green in them, with his pupils blown wide and his lips are bitten raw. He licks his lips self consciously, groaning at one particular thrust from Louis. 

Louis’ hand comes up to to grab a hold of his chin, the other hand still firm on his hip. He meets Harry’s eyes in the mirror.

“Is this okay?”

Harry almost wants to whine and tell him that yes, of course it’s okay, but then he remembers Louis is checking in with him, making his stomach flutter.

“Ye-yes.”

Lous’ grip tightens and that seems to be all the permission he needs before he’s pounding into him. Harry yelps and tries to hold on but his hands are flat against the mirror, with not much else he can grip onto. Louis holds him in place while he continues to drill into him. The sound of skin slapping against skin takes over the room along with their moans. Louis is hitting his prostate every time he slams into Harry and Harry feels like the air is being knocked out of him but he doesn’t want it to stop. He wants Louis to keep going, harder even. But Louis keeps his rhythm steady, his mouth coming down to kiss on Harry’s shoulder, which sends sparks on his body. Louis’ thumb comes up to swipe against Harry’s lips and Harry sucks it into his mouth, using it to have something to do and to keep himself focused, not letting himself get completely lost in the amount of pleasure he’s feeling.

“Look. At. How. Well. You’re. Taking. My. Cock,” Louis punctuates with every thrust. Harry can see a sheen of sweat on Louis' forehead, getting worked up himself. It makes him moan in response.

Louis’ hand on Harry’s hip reaches over in front of him and starts tugging on Harry’s cock. His body shakes at the feeling of Louis’ hand on him and he bites down on Louis’ thumb. It only takes a few more strokes before Harry is coming; hot, white streaks hitting the mirrored surface as Louis continues to fuck into him with purpose. It only takes Louis a few moments to get his own release, spilling into the condom and bringing his face down to Harry’s shoulder. 

They’re both panting and sweaty, taking a moment to catch their breath before Louis slowly pulls out of Harry, disposing of the condom before coming back with a wet washcloth. He wipes Harry down gently and slowly, telling him how well he did. Harry smiles, not being able to say anything really coherent at the moment. He watches as Louis cleans him up, being careful with Harry so oversensitive, kissing him on the cheek and back. Harry finally allows himself to close his eyes and take a moment to collect himself, basking in Louis’ attention to bring himself back to the present.

Harry doesn’t know what to say or what comes next. He’s too afraid to ask, fearing this might have been just another one off for Louis. Harry hopes that isn’t the case. He had missed that feeling of having Louis’ hands on him, having Louis’ lips on his body, just everywhere. Being consumed by Louis in a way he’s never had anyone consume him before. Harry hopes and prays they can work something out, a way for them to be able to continue whatever this is. Once Harry’s breathing is back to normal and he’s about to say something to break the silence between them, Louis’ phone goes off.

The shrill sound of the mobile device makes them both jump and Louis looks at Harry apologetically as he reaches over to pick it up to answer it.

“This is Louis Tomlinson.” He’s using his work voice which can only mean one thing. Louis hums, his face not really showing any type of emotion. “Sorry, I had to go up to my room for a moment but I’ll be right down,” he says before hanging up. He looks at Harry, “I’m sorry but that was Niall. He needs me back at the event. You should probably go back, too, there’s a lot of people to make nice with.”

Harry nods without question, immediately scrambling to put his clothes back on. He’s thankful Louis was careful with his jumpsuit as there’s no wrinkle on it in sight. Harry goes to the bathroom to run a few wet fingers through his hair, not wanting to be obvious about what he just did. Once he’s semi-presentable, he heads back out, Louis already waiting by the door.

Louis looks down at his feet, one hand on the doorknob before he looks back up, eyes meeting Harry’s. “Can we talk later?” His voice is small with a hint of nervousness to it, it makes Harry endeared.

“Of course,” Harry answers without question.

Louis’ shoulders relax at that. “Okay. Okay, good.” He opens the door and lets Harry go out first. When they get downstairs, they each go their separate ways. With a sore arse and wobbly legs, Harry goes straight for the bar.

Harry orders a whiskey sour, downing it all in one go before asking for another one. His body aches in the most delicious way, a small sting at the bottom of his bum, a constant reminder of what just happened, letting Harry know it wasn’t a dream, it was very real. Louis fucked him, used Harry’s body for his own pleasure, and Harry took it willingly, loved it even. Just thinking about it, replaying the moment in his mind is making his cock twitch. He takes a sip of his drink and decides to look for Liam to distract himself from his very filthy thoughts.

Liam is nowhere to be found in the ballroom and Harry’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. Where could he be? He finishes off his drink before he roams around the room to try and find him. He runs into people here and there who want to tell him how much they enjoyed his performance and Harry thanks every single one of them. 

Niall takes the stage to announce Bebe’s performance and Harry lets out a relieved sigh, knowing that people will be distracted by Bebe’s performance so he can continue looking for his best friend.

With no trace of Liam anywhere, Harry leaves to see if maybe he went back to his hotel room. Maybe Liam isn’t feeling well and he was trying to find Harry when he was with Louis. Harry had left his phone in his room, since his jumpsuit has no pockets, so it’s not like Liam could have called or texted him. He takes the lift up to their floor, a bit of worry starting to pool at the pit of his stomach. Liam’s room is right next to Harry’s, so he makes a mental note to stop by his own room to grab his phone before heading back downstairs. Harry stands in front of Liam’s room and knocks.

“Liam?”

Harry hears some shuffling inside but no response from Liam, so he knocks again.

“Liam, are you okay?” His concern is only growing more the longer his best friend is taking to answer the door.

“Just a second!” Liam squeaks on the other side before Harry hears a thump and some whispering, which makes Harry pause. As far as Harry is concerned, Anton is traveling for a gig with Steve Aoki, so he’s really confused as to who could possibly be with Liam in his hotel room right now.

The door opens as soon as Harry is about to knock again and he finds a flustered Liam with flushed cheeks, shiny red lips, and a duvet wrapped around his torso. Harry remembers how he looked exactly the same just a few moments ago.

“Hey, Harry. What’s up?” Liam’s voice is high and nervous and Harry crosses his arms with a quirked eyebrow.

“Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to check and make sure you’re alright. I didn’t see you downstairs and thought maybe you weren’t feeling well but now I see that you were occupied with something else.” Harry winks, trying to stifle a giggle because his best friend looks completely mortified. “Did Anton not end up leaving town after all?”

At that, there’s a noise inside of Liam’s room, like something falling to the floor, Harry can’t quite tell.

“Umm... Anton... umm,” Liam scratches the back of his head, looking behind him then back at Harry. He lets out a breath. “Look, Harry. Anton and I aren’t together anymore. We broke up a couple of weeks ago.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” Harry doesn’t mean to sound accusing but then his eyes look behind Liam before they fall back on his best friend. “Wait... then who are you with in here?” Harry whispers, suddenly realizing that whoever is in Liam’s room can hear their entire conversation.

Before Liam can answer, a shadow emerges from the background. Zayn has a sheet wrapped around his waist and he’s definitely sporting sex hair. Harry’s mouth goes wide staring at Zayn then at Liam, then at Zayn again. He waves his index between the two.

“Are you... are you two back together?” He’s not being judgmental at all, he is genuinely curious.

Liam and Zayn glance at each other before Liam looks at Harry. “Um... we’re talking things over.”

“Sure didn’t sound like you guys were talking things over,” Harry mumbles, before Liam punches him on the arm. “Ouch. Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’ll leave you two to resume whatever you were doing.” Before Harry can finish what he’s saying Liam is slamming the door on his face. “Use protection!” He yells, before he hears Liam groan on the other side. Harry cackles before heading back to his own room.

 

**XXX**

 

When Louis returns to the ballroom he gets thrown into a whirlwind of different scenarios. Niall is a mess, running around like a madman trying to get everything in order before Bebe’s performance, which is why he’d called Louis, interrupting his time with Harry. 

Louis hates that it looks like they just had a one off because that isn’t his intention at all. It’s why he told Harry he wanted to talk, wants to clear the air between them and maybe come to some sort of agreement with him. Louis is done trying to hold back, especially when it’s obvious that Harry is on the same page. At least Louis hopes he hasn’t been reading the situation entirely wrong. He shakes himself out of his endless thoughts and throws himself into working and helping Niall. 

It’s Bebe’s turn to go on stage and she’s getting some last minute touch ups backstage with hair and makeup and Kera is going over her outfit to make sure it’s good to go. Niall takes the microphone on stage and announces her, and then she’s on.

Bebe, like Harry, starts off with her debut single “No Broken Hearts”. Bebe’s music is the kind of music you listen to when you’re at a club and just want to dance. It’s very catchy and upbeat and Louis finds himself bopping along to the rhythm of the beats. Bebe owns the stage, just how Louis remembers the first time he saw her performing. She also has a very inviting stage presence and she has a very charming personality. It’s not long before the audience is also moving along to the music, seeming to enjoy themselves. 

Louis tries not to search for Harry and see what he’s up to even though he’s dying to know, dying to be with him again. He feels like he hasn’t had time to really process what happened between them. The way Louis let himself get consumed by everything Harry, with his smell, his body, his sex. Louis can drown in it all day, let him take over his entire being. He was planning to, until Niall called and ruined the moment. He lets out a frustrated sigh, hoping he hasn’t fucked things up between them. 

The rest of the evening finds Louis entirely occupied with one thing or another. He feels like he’s getting pulled into all sorts of directions and all he really wants to do is find Harry and take him back to his hotel room, cuddle him and talk to him. But every time it looks like Louis has a minute to breathe, someone else requires his attention. By the time the event is winding down and people are starting to leave, Harry is nowhere to be found. Louis tries not to think about it too much, going back to make sure things are set before he heads back to his room.

-

It’s no surprise to Louis that he isn’t able to get a good night’s sleep. He’s almost tempted to call Harry’s room to have their talk just so he can stop being so restless but he doesn’t want to disturb him in case he is getting some much needed sleep. He finds himself flipping the TV channels, settling for a  _ Friends _ marathon until he’s finally able to fall asleep.

There’s a soft knock on his door as Louis is walking out of the bathroom in the morning. Louis almost misses it and he probably would have if he was still in bed. He throws on a t-shirt and some sweatpants before he answers the door. 

Harry is standing on the other side, hands tucked into the pockets of the hoodie he’s wearing, and he smiles shyly as soon as Louis opens the door. His face still has traces of sleep on it and his hair is fluffy and soft; Louis wants to nuzzle his nose into it to breathe him and his wonderful scent in. But he doesn’t.

“Good morning,” Harry’s deep voice rasps. His eyes are downcast and he looks back up with a sort of uncertainty on his features. 

“Good morning, Harry. Come in, please.” Louis makes way for Harry to walk inside. “Did you sleep well?”

Harry looks a bit hesitant to enter the room but eventually does, standing awkwardly once he’s inside. 

Louis gestures to the couch in the sitting area. “Please sit. Would you like to order some breakfast or something? I was just about to call room service.” He wasn’t really about to do that but Louis feels he should have them just sit, eat breakfast, and talk over things to get themselves out of their own heads since Harry already seems to be uncomfortable being here. Louis wants to make Harry feel as comfortable as he can, especially with the type of conversation he wants to have with him.

Harry sits on the end of the couch, rubbing his thighs before he responds. “Yeah, breakfast sounds great, actually.”

Louis grabs the menu sitting on the coffee table and browses through it. “Anything you have a taste for specifically?” he asks.

Harry shrugs. “I’m not very picky. Surprise me,” he says, with a playful smirk on his lips. Louis chuckles and he loves that Harry is already seeming to be back to his normal self. Good.

Louis takes the liberty of ordering what he thinks Harry will like and is told the food will be up to their room in about 15 to 20 minutes. When Louis hangs up, he sits on the chair across from Harry, crosses one leg on his knee, and waits. It gets quiet between them again and Louis can feel the awkward tension returning so he decides to break the silence.

“How was the rest of your evening last night?” Louis remembers wondering where Harry had disappeared to, not having caught sight of him all night.

At that, Harry bursts into a fit of giggles. “Oh, my God. You won’t believe what I witnessed yesterday.”

Louis crosses his arms, sitting back on his chair to make himself more comfortable. “What is it?”

Harry goes on to tell Louis about how he couldn’t find Liam anywhere when Bebe’s set started so he grew concerned, thinking that he’d fallen sick or something and Harry had no idea. So Harry went looking for him in his room and was shocked to find he had interrupted Liam and Zayn doing some questionable things. By the time Harry finishes telling him the story, Louis is laughing his arse off.

“So is it safe to say that I brought them back together? Since, you know, things obviously transpired in Mexico,” Louis is still laughing.

Harry joins in, shaking his head. “Make sure to add matchmaker to your CV, too.”

Their joined laughter is interrupted by the sound of a knock on Louis’ door. He answers it and lets the hotel employee bring the food trolley inside, making sure to tip him generously on his way out. The entire room fills with the scent of freshly made food and tea.

Harry stands up. “Were you planning on feeding the entire floor?”

Louis shrugs. “You didn’t really give me much choice, did you? I ordered a bit of everything. Come on, I’m starving.”

Okay, so maybe Louis did go a bit overboard on the food but he wanted to make sure he had something Harry would like. There’s eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, granola, and fruit. Louis also ordered both tea and coffee, not sure of what Harry had a taste for. He grabs two mugs and sets one on the table in front of Harry. They’re now seated in the little dining area of the room, Harry grabbing a plate and placing some eggs and sausage on it. Louis grabs his own plate of pancakes, grabbing the syrup to pour a generous portion on top of it. They sit like that, eating in comfortable silence for a few moments. Louis prepares his cuppa, with the perfect amount of milk, and enjoys the fluffiest pancakes he’s tasted in a while.

“So, you wanted to talk?” Harry’s voice breaks his reverie. 

Louis looks up from his plate. Harry’s eyes are already on him, waiting. He can see the nervous anticipation on his face. He places his fork on his plate, leaning back to give Harry his undivided attention.

“Yes. I…” Louis sighs, unsure of where to even begin. “Look, Harry, I think I’ve made it pretty obvious that I find you extremely attractive and... I’m done trying to keep you at a distance. I just can’t do it anymore. If I’m not mistaken, I think you might be on the same page?” There’s a flash of uncertainty that makes Louis’ stomach drop for a moment where he thinks maybe Harry isn’t on the same page and maybe Louis has just been imagining it, but then Harry grins, biting his lip the same way Louis loves and hates.

Harry plays with a grape on his plate before saying, “Yeah. I think you’re really hot. Makes it hard to get anything done while you’re around, if I’m honest.” Harry’s cheeks blush at his admission but Louis finds it really freaking cute. They both chuckle.

“Okay, so what should we do about it? I mean... I don’t want this to interfere with our work or anything. I want to make it clear that I didn’t know it was you at Multiply the night Niall and I discovered you.” Louis knows it’s probably obvious, but he still wants to put that out there, in case Harry had any doubts.

Harry nods. “I didn’t know who you were either. Not until Liam and I came in to that first meeting,” he confirms.

Even though Louis figured that was the case, he can’t help the relief that courses through him hearing that. “Okay. So.” Louis isn’t really sure how to go about what he wants to say next, and Harry is looking at him expectantly. Waiting. He can feel Harry’s eyes boring into him and he suddenly feels self conscious being under such scrutiny.

Harry sits up straighter and puts a hand up. “Sorry to interrupt but... I’m not very experienced with this. When we met at the club, that was my first time there. I haven’t…” Harry lets out a breath. “I’ve never really done this before. Not really. My ex and I were experimenting with it a bit, learning, but… it never got very far before we broke up. I’m a little out of my depth here, just to let you know.” 

There’s a pretty pink tinge to the apples of Harry’s cheeks when he’s talking and he looks a bit flustered. Louis reaches over the table to put his hand on top of his, hoping to help him relax.

“It’s okay. Let’s talk it out and go from there. Give me just a second.” Louis jumps swiftly from his seat to look for his iPad. He’s always been great at organizing and documenting things. He comes back in less than a minute, turning on his device and opening the Notes app. “Okay, so… do you want to make a formal dom/sub agreement?” Louis makes sure to look Harry in the eye, needing him to understand and get his verbal consent. He won’t do anything else, otherwise.

Harry nods. “Yes. I want to.” His voice is confident, sure. 

Louis tilts his head down to make notes. He’s in full business mode but he’s also giddy on the inside. “Alright. We need to discuss some things then. I think it’s important to agree this will stay between you and me. And we won’t let the things that happen in the bedroom affect our working relationship.” He types while he’s talking before making sure Harry hears what he’s saying.

“Yeah, completely agree,” Harry assures him. “I think also, no sleepovers. No matter what we end up doing, we each go back to our homes at the end of it.”

Louis pauses, looking up from his iPad, to lean back and stare at Harry. “Okay... but listen. Aftercare is extremely important to me and I won’t leave until I’ve made sure you’re taken care of and okay to be on your own. How about no sleep overs that aren’t related to after care?”

Louis thinks he catches Harry’s eyes widen for a split second before he recovers. “Oh... Okay. Yeah, that makes sense.”

Louis types things out before he says, “Also, would it be okay if we used the traffic light system during scenes? We’ll also keep your safeword but I just feel more comfortable checking in with you with that, in case we need to pause and discuss things in the middle of a scene if it gets to be too much for you.”

Harry agrees and they continue. They spend the rest of their morning talking about kinks and limits. Harry tells Louis what he would and wouldn’t do, things he’s comfortable and isn’t comfortable with. Louis tries to be as thorough as he can be, not wanting to leave anything out. He does inform Harry that if he has any questions or wants to ever come back to renegotiate things, he’s more than welcome to. He also e-mails Harry information to read through.

“If, at any time, you want to end this arrangement, just say the word and we’ll stop. I don’t ever want you to feel obligated to stick around if you’re no longer happy or if you meet someone and want to pursue a romantic relationship. Be my guest, just talk to me and let me know. Okay?” Louis wraps things up after he feels he has enough information. He e-mails Harry a copy of the arrangement they just typed up and discussed.

Harry nods. “I will. Same with you, if you ever want to end it, just let me know.” Louis wants to say he’s never going to want to end it. That this arrangement is probably one of the best things that’s happened to him all year. That he feels like it has fallen in his lap straight from heaven and he’s going to do everything in his power to treasure it for as long as Harry will let him. But he doesn’t say anything. Instead he smiles, lips closed, and nods his head.

Harry is fiddling with his rings, making Louis nervous just by looking at him. He looks like he still has something on his mind.

“Harry, what is it?”

Harry bites his lip, looking at Louis with those gorgeous green eyes. “Is it okay if we… Can we, you know… seal the deal with, like, a blowjob?” Suddenly Harry’s nervous stare morphs into a hungry one, his lips parting as if taunting Louis, tempting him to deny such a request.

Louis swallows hard, licking his lips. “Um, yeah, yeah. That…that’s a good idea.”

Before Louis can say anything else, Harry is out of his seat, walking around the table and dropping to his knees in front of Louis. Harry’s staring up at him, big green eyes filled with so much want. Harry rests his cheek on Louis’ lap, his eyes never leaving his. He rubs his face on Louis' thigh. The sensation gives Louis the shivers. His cock wastes no time getting hard in his sweats so he scrambles to remove them quickly, not wanting to keep Harry waiting.

Harry’s face lights up, licking his lips obscenely, ogling Louis’ dick. His eyes dart up to Louis. “Can I?” His voice sounds eager and Louis needs to clamp his mouth shut to keep himself from groaning.

Louis places a hand in Harry’s hair, running his fingers through it. “Of course, darling. It’s all yours.”

That seems to be all the permission Harry needs, taking Louis into his large hand, stroking him a few times. Louis closes his eyes, basking in the feeling at the tightness enveloping his cock. His dick is fully hard and when Louis opens his eyes again, Harry leans in and swirls his tongue around the head, licking some of the precome from the tip. He slurps it up, moaning like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted, and Louis feels the need to steel himself to keep from coming too fast. Before Louis has time to breathe or even think, Harry is taking him into his mouth, a little bit at first, as if trying to see how it feels inside his mouth. Harry’s cheeks hollow, his lips pink and shiny with spit, and then he leans in further, taking Louis as far as he can.

Louis whines. “Fuck, Harry.” His hand comes back to Harry’s head, grabbing hold of his hair, tugging at it from the roots. Harry moans in response, making the vibrations against his dick send shocks through Louis’ body. Harry’s gaze meets Louis’, his eyes are watering but he continues to bob his head up and down without abandon. Louis bucks up, not really meaning to but Harry groans. He pulls off Louis with an obscene slurping sound, breathing heavy.

“Do that again. Fuck my mouth,” Harry pants, his voice gravelly and so fucked. Louis nods, taking a deep breath as Harry gets back into position.

Harry clasps both of his hands behind his back, taking Louis into his mouth again and just waits for Louis. Louis takes both hands— one on each side of Harry’s head— and starts to buck his hips again. He starts slowly at first, testing out Harry’s gag reflexes, not wanting to overwhelm him too much. Harry seems to be loving every thrust into his mouth, moaning and whining with every movement. Eventually, Louis’ movements become deeper and more erratic. Harry takes it, his breathing becomes harsher the more punishing Louis’ thrusts become. A few more strokes and Louis’ hips stiffen, Harry’s name spilling out of his mouth as he comes, body twitching in complete and utter ecstasy. Harry chokes a little but recovers and he licks Louis clean. He smiles up at Louis, white come painted on the corners of his lips. He takes a finger and cleans it up, sticking the finger into his mouth to lick it clean.

“Come here,” Louis orders, still working on catching his breath. He pats his leg, and Harry comes easily, settling himself on Louis’ lap, nuzzling into his neck. Louis kisses him on the cheek bringing his hand inside Harry's sweats to stroke his angry, hard cock, already wet from all the precome. Harry whines as soon as Louis’ got his hand wrapped around him. “It’s alright, baby, I’ve got you,” he whispers against Harry’s ear. “You did so well, now Daddy is going to reward you.”

At that, Harry moans again, his face still nestled on Louis’ shoulder while he brings Harry to orgasm. It takes him only a few more strokes before Harry is coming, hot streaks spilling all over Louis’ hand. Harry yelps, shaking in Louis’ arms. Louis cleans his hand off and brings both arms around Harry’s waist, bringing him as close as he possibly can to him.

“You did so good, baby. So good for me,” Louis praises, kissing Harry on his head and bringing a hand up to stroke at his hair.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Harry whispers softly, his voice sleep-heavy.

Louis places a final kiss on top of Harry’s head. “Anything for you, Angel.” Louis brings his face into Harry’s hair, inhaling the smell of his shampoo mixed with his sweat. It smells so good, so Harry. 

Louis thinks he’s screwed.

 

**XXX**

 

Harry can’t feel his face, the wind is brisk and harsh against his cheeks, his hair probably all over the place. He tries to remember why he decided to sign a recording contract so he doesn’t end up making a scene in the middle of the set of his music video.

He’s just been told he is going to be suspended 1500 feet up in the air by a helicopter, as if it was one of the easiest things in the world. The way the director just said it so calmly, like it’s something Harry does every day of his life and today isn’t going to be any different. Harry froze, heart thumping hard against his chest, his breath labored, trying not to have a panic attack in front of the entire crew. 

Now, here he is just hours later, standing outside a field in the middle of nowhere on the Isle of Skye with an outfit expensive enough to cover three months’ worth of rent, waiting to be hooked on to a helicopter. Harry tries taking another deep breath, trying to remind himself that after today he’ll get to go home. Not his home back in Los Angeles, but his home in Holmes Chapel. With Christmas just around the corner, everyone is getting some time off before coming back just in time for the release of the single that will hit radio waves in the new year.

Harry is nervous as fuck because he doesn’t know what he’ll do if his song completely flops. He wonders if Louis will even let him finish recording his album if his single fails. He hopes that doesn’t happen but Harry’s mind is morbid like that, always coming up with worst case scenarios.

It’s been a week since the Christmas showcase— since Harry and Louis made their little arrangement— and Harry hasn’t really seen Louis around. Harry threw himself back into the studio, wanting to get as much writing and recording done as he could before the holidays, also trying to distract himself from wanting to call or message Louis. 

He’d be lying if he didn’t say he can’t stop thinking about him. In fact, Louis has infiltrated every corner of Harry’s mind. He’s been trying to not be so eager, to give Louis space, even though what Harry really wants to do is be naked with him all the time and let him do whatever he wants. That blowjob he gave Louis in his hotel room after talking about their arrangement was one of the hottest things that’s ever happened to him. Letting Louis use him, use his mouth, for his own pleasure just drove Harry over the edge. He was nearly incoherent by the time Louis came, not even realizing that he was on Louis’ lap getting a handjob to get his own release. Harry didn’t even care about his own pleasure, all he wanted to do was please Louis. As soon as Harry came back down to Earth, he was ready for another round. But instead, they’d agreed to see each other soon before Harry went on his way. He was only a little disappointed then.

“Okay, so they’re almost ready for you to go. We’re just waiting for the helicopter,” Liam’s booming voice shakes Harry from his thoughts. The wind is loud and it doesn’t help that the crew is working around them. Harry turns to Liam and nods as his heart rate picks back up. They haven’t talked about the little incident at the hotel with Zayn yet and Harry isn’t prodding. Mostly because he doesn’t want to be cornered into being asked about Louis, even though Harry hasn’t given Liam any reason to be suspicious, but still. He can never be too sure. Though, Harry is dying to know what’s going on with his best friend and Zayn but he knows he just has to give Liam time.

The moment of truth finally arrives and one of the crew members fetches Harry to take him to where the helicopter is located. Harry is already wearing a harness under his jumper, so he gets hooked on to the aircraft. His ears are ringing now and he feels that he might throw up but he tries his best to push those anxious feelings aside, trying to show that he’s a professional and can do this. And with that, they start filming.

Being suspended so high up in the air is nerve wracking as all hell at first. So much so that Harry is shaking. But after the helicopter flies over the area for a few moments, Harry begins to relax a little, seeing that it’s not so bad after all. So the filming continues. They do shots over the water, over the grassy fields and by the mountains. Harry is taken aback by the beautiful scenery. He is a little disappointed when he’s brought back down to retouch his hair and makeup. There are some scenes where his stunt double steps in for him and while they film that, Harry gets wrapped in his coat and a warm blanket because despite the beautiful view it’s still cold as fuck. Harry is called for a final ride in the air, which is pretty easy, he feels silly now being so scared and on the verge of a panic attack. 

When Harry comes back down to solid ground he notices a group of people talking amongst themselves, one person in particular being louder than the others, their voice raised but Harry can’t quite make out what is being said. Once he’s unhooked and told he’s okay to go, he walks towards that group, seeing Liam among them with pinched eyebrows and a nervous pout.

“No, don’t give me that bullshit! I was told my artist wasn’t going to have to go higher than 50 feet! Why am I getting a call from his manager letting me know that it’s been changed to 1500 feet?” Louis is yelling at the director and what seems to be one of the producers of the video. They look like they’d rather be anywhere else than here being yelled at but they remain still.

The director apologizes for the ‘miscommunication’ and Louis dismisses them since there’s nothing that can be done anyway since Harry just finished filming. He doesn’t notice Harry until he’s already finished yelling and when their eyes meet, Harry thinks he can see a light blush creeping up on Louis’ cheeks. Louis approaches him with everyone else forgotten.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that. I had no idea they were going to make you get up that high. I swear I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen if I’d been kept in the loop about things,” Louis raises his voice at the last part, turning to glare at the director. He returns his gaze to Harry, eyes roaming his face. 

“It’s fine. I was a bit panicked at first but once I got up there, it wasn’t so bad. I’m glad to be touching solid ground now, though.” Harry smiles up at Louis.

“Still, I should have been here to oversee this because obviously people can’t be trusted to do their fucking jobs,” Louis grunts. Harry brings a hand up to rest on Louis’ forearm and Louis’ eyes dart to where they’re touching.

“Really, Lou. It’s okay. I’m sure the video is going to be wonderful. A lot of beautiful scenery,” Harry assures him.

“Yeah?” Louis’ voice softens greatly at that. Harry thinks he’s finally starting to forget the whole thing.

Harry nods. “Wait until you see the final cut.”

Louis laughs. “How do you know? You haven’t even seen it.”

Harry shrugs. “I’m pretty photogenic, so...”

“That you are,” Louis murmurs. “Well, it’s a wrap so you’re officially on Christmas holiday.”

Even though Harry isn’t looking forward to spending two weeks without seeing Louis, he’s glad to be seeing his family. He hasn’t seen them in months. He pastes a smile on his face. “Happy Christmas, Louis. I’ll see you after the new year.” And with that, he turns to find Liam so that they can take a car back home.

-

Coming home to see his mum and stepfather is always a great time. Harry cherishes it with all his heart because, these days, he doesn’t get to see them as often as he’d like. Perhaps, with this new musical venture, he’ll be able to do it more. 

His mum, Anne, hugs him for what feels like hours and it feels nice. There’s never a better feeling than being wrapped in his mother’s arms, no matter how old he gets. It’s one of the most comforting things for Harry, no matter what stage in life he’s been in. His mum welcomes him with open arms and takes him to his old childhood bedroom. It looks almost exactly as it did before he left to go to university. The posters on the wall, his awards from school, even his old guitar that has no strings on it anymore; it’s all still here.

Anne feeds him way too much, having made Harry’s favorite meal. Harry eats it all and even grabs seconds. He almost gets thirds but his mum has jaffa cakes and Harry really missed jaffa cakes. He makes a mental note to spend more time at the gym with Liam when he returns to Los Angeles.

They have a great time catching up; Harry telling his mum about being at the studio, the showcase, and filming the music video. His mum updates him on things at home and on his sister Gemma even though he saw her just a few weeks ago. Anne lets Harry know that Gemma will be home tomorrow for Christmas as well as soon as she finishes a huge project she has in London. His stepfather Robin teases him, just like he always does when he’s home. It makes Harry smile to no end. 

After dinner, they spend some time lounging around and watching television. Harry excuses himself not long after, still feeling exhausted from the video shoot. He kisses his mum and hugs Robin goodnight before heading to his room. Harry showers and brushes his teeth, throwing on an old t-shirt and pants to settle into bed.

Harry browses through his phone and checks his e-mails. There’s nothing dire so he lets the rest of them go unanswered until he returns. He finds himself getting lost in his social media accounts. He decides to post a quick tweet about being home with his mum’s cooking. He doesn’t have a lot of new followers yet but they sure have increased since the showcase. Zayn has encouraged him to stay active on social media and to interact with the fans that he has at the moment. Harry listens to him, because if this all goes well for him and he gains more attention, who knows if he’ll be able to interact as much as he’d like. Zayn might even have to take over his social media— but Harry doubts that will happen any time soon.

He opens Instagram and likes a few pictures here and there. He goes through his notifications and notices that louist28 is now following his account. Harry’s heart rate speeds up when he clicks on the profile and realizes that it’s Louis. There’s not a lot of pictures. Louis doesn’t seem to be as obsessed as Harry is with photography but the few pictures that he does have are good. 

There are a few selfies, mostly older ones, probably before becoming CEO, Harry guesses. He finds himself scrolling all the way to the bottom of Louis’ Instagram profile. One of the first pictures is a fucking shirtless picture and Harry’s cock twitches in his pants. Louis’ hair is messy, as if he just got out of bed or had rough sex, his ‘It Is What It Is’ tattoo is visible across his collarbones, and God. Harry closes his eyes for a moment because he’s so overwhelmed at the sight. As Harry is clicking on the comments to see what people have said, his finger accidentally presses the little heart by it. Harry’s heart stops as he realizes he just accidentally liked Louis’ picture. 

Fuck.

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod,” Harry whisper chants to himself. He can’t unlike it because Louis will still have gotten the notification and if he goes to check and sees Harry unliked it, it’s just going to be worse, isn’t it? Harry is panicking, trying to figure out what to do. He considers deleting his Instagram account altogether, so he can just say he doesn’t have an Instagram, but then Louis would know that’s a lie since he had to give all his social media accounts and passwords to Zayn. Fuck. 

Before he can figure out what to do, a notification pops up letting Harry know he’s received a direct message on Instagram. Harry clicks on it and sees Louis has messaged him. He swallows hard, trying his best to calm himself down before opening the message.

Louist28: like what you see? ;)

Even though Louis isn’t here in person, Harry blushes like crazy. He feels absolutely mortified. He puts his face in his hands and groans. God, he’s such an idiot. He stares at the message for a good minute before bringing himself to type a response. He types and deletes at least five different versions of a message before he finally makes himself settle for one.

Harrystyles: yeah, you caught me *blushing emoji*

Louist28: aww don’t be shy.

Harry straightens up in his bed, deciding to throw caution to the wind because what the hell. He’s horny and talking to Louis so he’s going to make the most of it.

Harrystyles: I can’t help it. It’s the effect you’ve had on me since the first day we met.

When Harry clicks send, he bites his lip, staring at the screen and waiting for a new message to pop up. It’s taking longer than the others did and the anticipation makes Harry’s stomach swoop.

Louist28: Is that so? So what did you think of my selfie then? Be honest.

Even though Harry is reading a message, he can hear the commanding tone of Louis’ voice as he reads the last part. He can feel himself getting hard from it.

Harrystyles: I was thinking about how I wanted to have my come all over your collarbones and trace my tongue along every single letter of your tattoo to clean it up.

Harry clicks send before he can overthink himself to death. Louis did tell him to be honest, after all. He puts his thumbnail between his teeth, waiting for a response, his heart rabbiting against his chest.

Louist28: well, that escalated quickly. 

Louist28: what else would you do to me?

Harry licks his lips and closes his eyes. He pictures Louis here in bed, next to him. He’s shirtless, just like he was in the picture, his hair too. He imagines his hands roaming around Louis’ body, exploring and tasting everywhere Louis will let him. But most of all, he imagines... Harry types it out before he finishes that thought.

Harrystyles: I’d lick you everywhere. Let my tongue explore your body. Run my tongue between your arsecheeks to have a taste.

Louist28: mmm. I bet that would feel so good, baby. Would you like me to sit on your face?

A small moan escapes Harry’s lips. He imagines himself lying on the bed with Louis on top of him, arse coming down to his face as Louis rides his tongue. Harry can almost feel the ache in his jaw from it. His mouth waters, and he swallows it down.

Harrystyles: fuck yes. I want you to ride my mouth until you come.

Louist28: what about you, baby? What do you want me to do for you?

Harry thinks about it and he realizes that he doesn’t really care because he thinks he’d come just from eating Louis out. So he types out just that.

Louist28: you think you can come just by eating me out, love? We might have to try that next time I see you then ;P

Harry smiles. Even when they’re just talking over text, seeing Louis call him cute pet names makes him feel like he’s on top of the world.

Harrystyles: yes Daddy. I want to so bad.

Louist28: we’ll have to see how well you behave for me while you’re on holiday. Have you been touching yourself?

Harry isn’t sure why but as soon as he reads the message he looks down at his crotch; his dick is tenting against the thin material of the sheet.

Harrystyles: no, I haven’t. Been good.

Louist28: good. No touching yourself until I see you, okay?

Harry groans. He was hoping to read back on this conversation and have a wank. Fuck. He takes a deep breath before responding.

Harrystyles: okay.

Louist28: I mean it, baby. Promise me.

Again, Harry can just hear the sternness in Louis’ voice as he reads that message. He lets out a sigh.

Harrystyles: I promise.

Louist28: Good boy. I’ll see you soon ;)

It takes everything in Harry not to pout because he doesn’t want to stop talking to Louis. Now that he’s opened this line of communication, he always wants to talk to him.

Harrystyles: see you soon. <3

Harry stares at the heart for a good minute before he decides to fuck it and click send. This is going to be an interesting two weeks.


	6. You're a Freak Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: TiO by ZAYN
> 
> There are a couple of nsfw manips that are linked throughout this chapter, so just a heads up :)

After New Year’s, Louis returns to Los Angeles. He’d spent the holidays in Doncaster with his mum and siblings, catching up with them on their lives. He tries to visit as often as he can but now that he’s taken over Hanover Records, it’s been harder to find the time to fly over to see them. It was good, though. It’s always a great time seeing his mum and being spoiled with home cooking and lots of cuddles from his younger siblings, even allowing to be teased a bit. He only allows it because they don’t see each other often.

After Louis’ little text conversation with Harry, he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him. Harry was so honest about what he wanted to do to Louis and he still thinks about how hard it made him just picturing Harry beneath him, licking him out. It was a lot and Louis almost screamed into his pillow from how horny that conversation made him. He asked Harry not to touch himself during the two weeks they’d be apart and Louis decided to do the same. He considered jerking himself off after talking to Harry but the guilt of knowing Harry would be holding off until he saw Louis made him take pause. So, he’s been holding off. For two whole weeks.

Louis isn’t sure when Harry will be back in town or if he’s already back. He does know Harry is scheduled to be at the studio in a couple of days. Louis doesn’t know if he’ll be able to last a couple of days, though. He decides to distract himself a bit since he just got home. He goes out to run a few errands; getting groceries and actively not thinking about Harry Styles.

When Louis comes home after a couple of hours, he takes his time putting the food away. While he’s at it, he cleans out some stuff that has gone bad in his absence. He jumps in the shower, cleaning himself thoroughly, turning the water to as cold as his body can take because he feels like these days, he’s always hard. It’s the effect Harry has on him even when they’re not in the same room. Louis wraps himself in a towel after his shower and dries himself off. He throws on sweats and a t-shirt, not even bothering with underwear.

Louis locates his phone charging on the nightstand, unlocking it to find a couple of messages from Harry. Louis couldn’t click on the message icon any faster if he’d tried.

Harry: Daddy

Harry: Need you

There’s just something about the way Harry says those words in person, even through text Louis can hear them, clear as day and they go straight to his dick. He’d just managed to calm himself down with a cold shower and all that work just went down the drain with a simple text from Harry.

Louis: Have you been good for me baby?

Harry: Yes, so good. Didn’t touch.

There’s a rush of heat that flows through Louis’ veins as soon as he reads those words. Harry was good for him. Louis knows he doesn’t even need to question it; Harry is telling him the truth.

Louis: Are you back in town?

Harry’s text comes lightning fast.

Harry: yes. Wanna see you. Please?

Louis treads carefully, thinking about his next step. His instinct is telling him to drop everything and just get to where Harry is so that they can finally, finally get each other off. But, as much as Louis is dying to get some relief, he thinks he can still have a bit more fun with this.

Louis: I’m sorry baby, I’m so swamped right now. But can you do something for me?

Harry: yes, anything.

Louis: do you have a plug?

Louis anxiously waits for Harry to respond. He hopes Harry has one for his plan to work.

Harry: I do.

Louis: good. Can you open yourself up for me and put the plug in? Send me a picture when you do.

Harry: okay.

Louis feels his pulse race just thinking about Harry working himself open and putting a plug inside of himself. He closes his eyes and swallows hard. He decides to find a way to get distracted, going to his kitchen to grab a glass of water and something to snack on. When his phone vibrates on the counter his heart stops. He rushes over to it, picking it up and taking a deep breath before opening the message.

Louis nearly drops his phone. Harry sent him a picture, alright. The picture features Harry’s arse and a pretty pink plug with a hot pink jewel base. Louis groans.

[nsfw manip](https://imgur.com/ex5RWKC)

Louis: Look at you so pretty for me.

That’s enough torture for Louis. He wants, he _needs_ Harry here right now.

Louis: I’m sending my driver over to pick you up baby. I need to see that pretty arse in person.

He asks Harry to text him his address and Louis forwards it to his driver. Meanwhile, Louis needs to prepare. He goes into his closet to search through his chest of toys and rummages through it, trying to decide what things he wants to use tonight. He doesn’t want to drag it out too much but he does want to push Harry a little more. He grabs a few things then goes to his nightstand drawer to make sure he has lube and condoms, which he thankfully does. By the time he finishes gathering the things he needs, he hears the doorbell.

Louis isn’t sure what he was expecting on the other side but what he sees is Harry with flushed cheeks, glassy eyes, and red, bitten lips looking so fucked out and they haven’t even touched yet. Louis’ cock twitches in interest.

“Hey, come on in,” Louis says. He makes it a point not to gawk at Harry’s crotch, knowing full well the boy is very hard in his pants. “Do you want something to drink or a snack?” he asks, turning his back to Harry, feeling the heat of his gaze behind him.

Louis can hear Harry take a sharp intake of breath. “N-no, th-thank you,” his voice shakes.

Louis grabs a couple of water bottles and a banana anyway, taking it with him as he heads over to his bedroom. “Come on, love. Let’s go take care of you.” He walks, expecting Harry to follow him as he does. He puts the snacks and water on the nightstand before removing his clothes. He takes his time folding them neatly and placing them on a chair.

Louis sees Harry standing, his eyes following Louis’ every move. Louis approaches him, lifting his hand to run it through Harry’s hair. Harry’s eyes flutter closed.

“What’s your color, baby?” Louis asks gently.

He can see Harry swallowing hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his neck constricting as he does before he responds. “Green.”

Louis leans in and kisses Harry on the cheek and then the other. He’s so tempted to kiss him on the lips but kissing him there would lead to other things Louis isn’t ready for. So instead, he kisses him on the neck, right under his ear.

“Let’s get your clothes off so I can take care of you, okay?”

Harry nods eagerly. Louis removes the t-shirt Harry’s got on, his torso is tinted pink, his skin so silky smooth and warm to the touch. Louis wants to get his mouth all over it.

“Turn around for me,” he says. Harry turns around slowly. He’s wearing shorts that accentuate his bum perfectly. Louis wants to nip at it, mark him all up with his teeth.

Louis places his fingers inside the band of the shorts, kneeling down behind Harry as he gently tugs the shorts down. Harry’s arse comes into view, the beautiful hot pink plug on full display.

“So pretty.”

He can hear Harry’s breath hitch as Louis’ hands grasp his arse, his thumbs stretching him open to get a better look. He places a couple of kisses, one on each cheek, eliciting a lovely whine from Harry.

Louis can’t take it any longer so he gets up to his feet to grab one of the items he’d grabbed from his closet just a few moments ago. He takes the metal handcuffs, looping his fingers through them, showing them to Harry. The metal clinks as he moves.

“Is it okay if I cuff your hands together?” Louis lifts the handcuffs for emphasis.

Harry nods. “Yes,” he answers, already moving to put his hands behind his back.

Louis smiles, unlocking the handcuffs, carefully placing Harry’s wrists in each one. He locks them and makes sure they’re not too tight, tugging on them and asking Harry if he feels okay.

[nsfw manip](https://imgur.com/EkMXlTT)

“What’s your color?” Louis turns Harry around so they’re facing each other.

“Green.”

“Okay, good. I want you to bend over on the bed for me.” Louis turns Harry around, guiding him toward the bed. He places a pillow so that Harry can lay on it. He’s bent over the bed, bum sticking out gloriously like an offering for Louis. He runs a finger up and down Harry’s curved spine, unable to resist. “Now... do you think you can hold off until I say you can come, baby?”

Louis’ finger stops just above the plug, waiting for Harry to respond. Harry turns his head, peering over his shoulder. “Yes. I can be good.”

“Mmm, good. I love it when you’re good for me.” Louis leans over and places a kiss on the spot where Harry’s back ends and his arse begins. He twists on the plug a little before completely pulling it out. He sets it aside and nudges two of his fingers inside of Harry. Harry mewls at the contact. Louis fingers him, his digits spreading Harry open for a few moments before he pulls them out.

Harry grunts but Louis assures him he’ll be right back. He scrambles for a condom, placing it on his dick, already so hard it’s red. He makes sure to lube himself generously, gripping the base of his cock and entering Harry slowly.

“Oh fuck,” Harry moans.

Louis is going slowly, waiting for Harry to adjust around him. He’s so fucking tight, Louis is afraid he’ll come with just one movement. It’s been two weeks of torture for the both of them, after all.

Once he’s completely bottomed out, Louis begins to thrust his hips back and forth, deep and slow, making it last as long as possible because he’s not ready for them to find their release just yet. Louis wants the wait that they’ve both endured to be well worth it, even if it nearly kills him.

The most obscene noises are spilling out of Harry’s mouth with every movement Louis makes. He leans over to tug on Harry’s hair, using it as leverage to keep his thrusts steady.

After one particular thrust, Harry yelps. “Oh, God. Oh, God, I wanna come. _Please_!”

Louis snaps his hips against Harry’s in a punishing way. “Not yet.” After a few more, Louis pulls out, making sure to grab the base of his dick as he does. He leans over and licks a stripe up and down Harry’s arse crack. Harry yelps.

“Harry... baby. Do you think you can lay on your back with your hands cuffed?” Louis asks, panting, trying to catch his breath.

Harry nods. “Yeah... I think I can.”

Louis helps Harry get on his feet before helping him lay on his back. He makes sure Harry’s head is resting comfortably against a pillow. Louis climbs on the bed to join him, straddling Harry’s chest, with his back to Harry’s face.

Louis asks, “What’s your color, baby?”

Harry’s body feels hot and sticky with sweat beneath him and Louis knows they both won’t be able to last much longer so he’s going to do his best to get them off and make the wait worth Harry’s while.

“Green,” Harry moans.

Louis reaches over to caress Harry’s face behind him. “Okay. I have you, okay? You don’t need to wait much longer. I promise.”

Harry nods and kisses Louis’ hand before Louis pulls away. He moves his arse closer to Harry’s face. When Harry realizes what Louis is doing, his face brightens.

“Fuck yes. Yes, please. Sit on my face,” he babbles.

Louis chuckles, but continues to move. He backs his arse up slowly, making sure his hole is right above Harry’s mouth. As soon as he feels Harry’s tongue between his cheeks he lowers himself a bit more, making sure Harry doesn’t have to strain his neck to reach.

“Oh, fuck. That’s it baby,” Louis pants, letting Harry take what he wants. He thinks back to when he and Harry were merely just texting about what Harry wanted to do to Louis’ arse and now here they are— turning Harry’s fantasy into a reality.

Louis strokes himself slowly, basking in the incredible feeling of Harry’s tongue fucking in and out of him. Louis helps him since Harry’s hands are bound, so he undulates his hips to help Harry slide his tongue inside of him. Harry’s moans vibrate against Louis’ arse, making him whine from the intense feeling.

“Baby, you can come whenever you want okay. You’ve been so good, you deserve it,” Louis tells Harry while he continues to jerk himself off. It doesn’t take much longer before Harry is shaking beneath him and hot, white streaks of come are coating his belly. Louis follows right after him, the sight of Harry coming untouched doing him in. It’s the hardest Louis has ever come in his life, like fireworks and bombs going off in his brain. As Louis strokes himself through it, he finally moves over, giving Harry some room to breathe and recover.

Louis fetches the key to the handcuffs, unlocking them in one swift motion. Louis kisses Harry’s wrists, his arms, all the way up to his shoulders.

“So good. You did so, so good, baby. You’re amazing. Incredible.” Praises spill out of Louis’ mouth while he moves Harry to his side, spooning him and wrapping his arm around his torso. Louis kisses him on his head, his hair damp from sweat but it still smells amazing.

Harry is a panting mess. He’s shaking a bit so Louis rubs his hands up and down his sides. Louis gives him time to catch his breath and cuddles him close, knowing it’s probably what he needs right now, after being so worked up for so long. Louis is in a bit of a haze himself and he can only imagine what Harry must be feeling so he continues to peck his skin and whisper praises into his ear.

Once Harry’s breathing has evened out, Louis grabs a water bottle and banana from his nightstand.

“Here, drink up.” Louis opens the bottled water and raises it to Harry’s lips. Harry blinks, staring at the bottle before realizing Louis is talking to him. He opens his mouth and lets Louis pour a little bit of water against his lips. Harry swallows. “Are you with me?”

Harry nods, “Yeah. For the most part, I think.” His voice is so rough, it makes Louis flinch a bit.

Without a word, Louis peels the banana, tearing up a piece and nudging Harry’s mouth. Harry opens it without protest, accepting the fruit and chewing it slowly.

“Thank you,” Harry mumbles, the banana still in his mouth. He stares at Louis, eyes soft and so green.

Louis smiles, “I should be thanking you. You eat arse like a starved man.”

They’re both thrown into a fit of giggles at that. Once they calm down and Harry finishes the rest of his banana, Louis asks, “You want to order some take away before you head back home?”

Harry turns over to face Louis, his eyes roaming Louis’ face, making him blush.

“Yeah. Take away sounds perfect.”

 

**XXX**

 

With the release of Sign of the Times just around the corner, Harry is spending as much time as he can in the studio, trying to finish laying some tracks down before he has to travel to visit radio stations around the country to promote the single. He’s been tweeting more often the closer the release date comes and has posted pictures and videos from his time in the studio. His fans are loving every post he’s made so far which only motivates Harry to keep going.

Kera stops by one day to drop off a packed suitcase with the outfits he is to wear to his radio appearances. She even placed polaroid pictures of the outfits and how they are to be worn in case Harry has any doubts. Harry still has other packing to do and he’s forced to leave the studio a bit earlier than he normally would to get those things done since his flight leaves at the crack of dawn the next morning. Of course, when Harry gets home, Liam is all packed and ready to go, which just makes Harry roll his eyes.

“Of course you’re all packed to go, you’re just excited that Zayn is gonna be tagging along with us,” Harry teases as he rummages through their hall closet for his duffle bag.

Liam scoffs. “Don’t take it out on me that you decided to wait until the last minute to pack.”

Harry flips Liam off and Liam just cackles.

“So... are you ever going to tell me what the deal is with you both?” Harry decides to ask, since the mood seems lively and open.

Liam’s smile fades a little and he clears his throat. “I would if I actually knew myself,” he says, voice a bit small. He lets out a sigh, “In Mexico, and just having to spend so much time with him for work, it made me realize how easy things are with him and how much I still really love him. We have talked about it but we’re just seeing where things go without putting pressure on it, you know?” Liam’s eyes come up to meet Harry’s and his gaze holds so much hope. Harry hopes Zayn doesn’t go breaking his best friend’s heart again because he doesn’t know if Liam would ever recover from that again.

Harry nods, trying his best to flash a reassuring smile. “I get it. Just... be careful, okay?”

“I will, promise,” Liam assures him with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Harry places the empty duffle bag on the couch and plops next to Liam. He leans his head on his shoulder. “How about I make us something for dinner before I start packing? We’re about to be doing a lot of traveling and eating out, we need a good home cooked meal before we leave. Hmm?”

Liam’s arm wraps around Harry’s shoulders, leaning his head against Harry’s. “That sounds like a good plan. Lasagna, with extra cheese?”

Harry chuckles. “Coming right up.” He sits up and kisses Liam on the forehead. “Love you, Li Li. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Good,” Liam says, with a silly smirk on his face. “That’s my plan.”

-

Chicago is cold. Like, freezing cold. So cold that, as soon as they step out of the airport, the chilly air burns Harry’s lungs. Clearly, the coat he brought with him isn’t going to be enough.

A car picks them up and takes them straight to the first radio station. He’s doing a few morning shows and one of the radio stations is hosting an event at the mall later this evening where Harry and the band will be performing a couple of songs and Harry will sign autographs and take pictures with fans. The cities Harry is visiting are the ones that Zayn determined contain the most of Harry’s fans for a higher chance of a turnout at these types of events. Plus, a lot of Harry’s fans are very good at spreading the word about him and his music, some even willing to travel to see him. They’re truly amazing.

It’s all a whirlwind. From the airport, Harry is thrown into interview after interview. There’s not time for much of a break, unless he counts the time he travels from one radio station to the other a break, before he’s talking to someone else about the single and upcoming unfinished album. It takes Harry by surprise a bit, how much work goes into it and how time consuming it is.

When Harry is done with all the morning show interviews, they finally have some time to relax. They’re taken to their hotel to check in and Harry runs straight for his bed to lie down for just a few minutes. He wonders if he’ll be able to squeeze in a nap.

Just as Harry’s about to give in to sleep, Liam bursts into his room. “Nuh uh. No sleeping, Harry! We’ve got lunch at Giordano’s in fifteen minutes. Come on, you have to change.” Liam pats him on the chest and Harry groans.

“Oh, come on, Liam. Can we just skip lunch so I can take a nap? I’m completely knackered,” Harry begs. He rolls over on the bed to face Liam with pleading eyes.

“We can’t do that, Harry. Fans are supposed to see you going in and out of the restaurant.” Liam sighs. “Look, our flight doesn’t leave until late morning tomorrow so you can sleep in, okay?”

Harry grabs a pillow and throws it over his face to scream. He throws the pillow to the side and huffs. “Fine.”

Harry gets out of bed with a pout and pulls the suitcase that Kera had packed for him, taking out the designated outfit for lunch and the radio event at the mall. He puts the clothes on and runs some water through his curls, not really caring what his hair looks like since Pete will take care of it later. He’s ready to go with minutes to spare.

There aren’t many fans outside the restaurant when Harry arrives but he stops to take pictures with them hoping they’ll post them online to create hype or whatever it is Zayn said would be the purpose. They have some delicious Chicago style pizza that Harry really does end up enjoying so that makes up for Liam not letting him have a nap. By the time they finish eating though, Harry is ready to pass out again.

Instead, they’re escorted to do a little bit of sightseeing before they have to be at Chicago Ridge Mall for the radio event. They walk around Michigan Avenue and do a bit of shopping before going to Millennium Park. It’s still cold as ever, but Harry feels better bundled up than he was when he arrived; plus, he’s never been to Chicago before and wants to see the sights.

Zayn meets up with them and it’s like all the attention that Liam had on Harry is now completely gone. Harry doesn’t let it bother him though, and he continues taking pictures everywhere they go, uploading some to Instagram once they get ready to head back to the car where the driver is already waiting for them.

On their way to the mall, Harry receives a notification from Instagram. When he clicks on it and sees what it is, his lips curve into a huge grin.

Louist28: Looks like you’re having fun in Chicago. I hope you’re staying warm :)

There’s a burst of energy that flows through Harry, like his exhaustion is lifted and he’s got a second wind, ready to take on the rest of the day.

Harry performs at the mall event, the same songs he performed last month at the showcase, and they’re very well received. There’s a pretty good turnout, though Harry isn’t the only artist the people are there to see, but exposure or whatever Zayn says. Harry meets with fans after his performance, taking pictures with them and signing autographs. He doesn’t really pay attention to how long he’s been going at it, he just poses, smiles, and the flash of the camera blinds him over and over again. By the time he’s down to the last fan, Harry checks his phone and realizes he’s been doing this for nearly three hours. He suddenly feels all the exhaustion from the day down to his bones.

When Liam tells him it’s time for them to go, Harry feels that he might literally just pass out right there on the floor at Liam’s feet with how heavy all of his limbs feel. Liam puts his arm around his waist and walks him out to their waiting vehicle.

Harry lays his head on Liam’s shoulder when the car starts to move. He doesn’t realize he’s fallen asleep until Liam is shaking him awake. In his sleep haze, he wobbles into the hotel and falls on the bed unceremoniously when he walks into his room. He’s out as soon as his head hits the pillow.

The next stop is D.C., which is about as tiring as Chicago is. Harry loves it though, he loves meeting the fans and he loves that some already know the words to his songs. It makes all of the long hours so worth it.

At the end of his day, Harry heads back to his hotel room. Liam had asked him if he wanted to do something but Harry quickly dismissed that because it looked like Zayn wanted to take Liam out and Harry didn’t want to get in the middle of that. Plus, he’s been feeling a little off. Most likely, it’s just Harry’s body trying to adjust to all of the traveling and having to sleep in a hotel room every night instead of being able to relax in his own home or something. But he just doesn’t feel like himself. He takes a long, hot shower, throwing on only a pair of pants before he lays in bed and tries to see if there’s anything good on television. He’s not really sleepy because the uneasiness he’s feeling isn’t going to let him rest, he already knows, so he’s trying to see if maybe some mindless television will help.

After a few rerun episodes of _Friends_ , Harry gets frustrated and turns the TV off. He lets out an exasperated sigh as he throws the remote haphazardly to the side. He turns to the other side of the bed, sees how it’s empty and cold next to him and he nearly wants to break down and cry and he’s not quite sure why. He really misses Louis and he hasn’t spoken to him— he never even responded to the comment he’d left for him on Instagram. He just wishes Louis were here because he knows Louis would know just what to do to help Harry through whatever it is he’s feeling. He just needs Louis to take over and tell him what to do, make Harry forget for just a moment, get out of his own head like he always seems to do.

Harry takes a deep breath, inhaling in and exhaling out slowly, closing his eyes. When his eyes open they land on his phone sitting on the side table next to him. Should he? What would he even say? How would he be able to put into words what Harry needs Louis to do for him?

Harry covers his face with his hands and whines. He needs to. Harry really can’t think of any other options. With another deep breath, he reaches over and grabs his phone. He unlocks it, searches for Louis’ contact and lets his thumb hover over his phone number. The only phone calls they’ve had before have only had to do with work. It feels like what Harry is about to do is break some sort of barrier between them or something. It feels odd but Harry feels that he needs to do it. He needs to hear Louis’ voice, needs him to tell Harry that he’s doing well.

Harry taps on Louis’ phone number before he can talk himself out of it and his heart races. The more rings Harry hears on the other line, the faster his breathing gets. Until finally, finally, Louis answers after the fifth ring.

“Hello?” Louis whispers. Harry wonders if Louis was busy and had to step out to answer, making him feel bad for bothering him. He almost hangs up, but then he realizes how stupid that would be, knowing Louis would call him right back. “Harry?” Louis tries again, his voice startling Harry because he’d forgotten Louis was still waiting for him to respond.

Harry shuts his eyes so tightly they hurt “Daddy.” It comes out so small, almost pained, and Harry feels a flush of complete embarrassment at how whiny he just sounded. He’s about to backtrack, maybe even laugh it off and tell Louis nevermind when Louis interrupts his thoughts.

“What is it, baby? What do you need?” Louis’ voice sounds urgent, steady, just what Harry wants, needs right here next to him.

“I... I’m sorry. I just... I need you,” Harry tells him. He hears some shuffling on the other side of the line.

“Okay. Can you hold on for just one second?” Louis asks.

“Yes.”

Again, Harry hears shuffling and some muffled talking but he doesn’t quite make out what Louis is saying. A couple of minutes later, the noise in the background disappears and Louis returns.

“I’m back,” Louis sounds out of breath but Harry relaxes, closing his eyes at the sound of his voice. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

And just that, the soft sound of Louis’ raspy voice, it already makes Harry feel loads better. But he’s still not ready to hang up, not even close.

Harry sighs. “Just been a rough couple of days. Got a bit overwhelmed, I think. Wanted to hear your voice to get me out of my own head.”

Louis hums. “I’m sorry you’re overwhelmed, angel. What do you need from me?”

Harry thinks about it for a moment before answering. “Just talking to you is helping.”

“Okay. Hold on a second, I just got home. Let me open the door,” Louis says. Harry can hear Louis’ keys jingling with the lock on his door before he returns. “Alright, I’m back. Now you really do have my full attention.”

Harry smiles. “I’m sorry I interrupted whatever it is that you were doing,” he says, even though he really isn’t.

“You weren’t interrupting. I was actually just going to leave when you called, so you gave me the perfect excuse,” Louis assures him.

Harry hums. “Did you have a good evening?” He plays with a stray thread on his pillow, listening intently.

“It was good, yeah. Went out for drinks with Niall and some friends. You?”

“I’ve just been at the hotel since my last interview. I’m pretty sure Zayn and Liam are still out doing God knows what but I wasn’t really feeling up for it.” Harry wants to also tell him how much he’s really missed Louis, but he decides it’s a better idea not to.

Louis is quiet for a few seconds. “Why weren’t you feeling well then? Did something happen?”

Harry pauses for a second and thinks about the last few days, traveling and being taken to interview after interview. He’s a very sociable person, he’s been told he’s very charming and all that but he’s never interacted with so many people at once in this capacity and it just got to him. It didn’t help that Louis isn’t here just to make him forget, to make it all better. But how is he supposed to articulate that in a way that doesn’t scare Louis away?

“Harry? Are you still there?” Louis’ worried tone brings him back to earth.

Harry clears his throat. “Ye-yeah. Sorry, just got lost in my own thoughts,” he admits.

“Hmm... I see. Has that been happening a lot today, baby?” Louis’ voice has changed a little, it’s taken a deeper tone, one that makes Harry’s body tremble as soon as he hears it.

Harry closes his eyes and licks his lips, swallowing hard. “Yes. So much... I wish you were here to help me.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he can feel a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

“You do? What would you want to do if I was there?” Louis sounds undeterred by Harry’s admission.

Harry bites his bottom lip, thinking. He trails his fingers up and down his bare chest, gently tugging on his nipple as he does, imagining it’s Louis. “I’d want you to tie me up and blindfold me, then play with my nipples. Bite them, tease them until I’m a sobbing mess.”

There’s nothing but silence for a few seconds and Harry thinks he might have said too much too soon. But then he hears Louis clearing his throat.

“Oh, so you like having your nipples played with, sweetheart? What else?”

Harry’s hand travels down to his crotch, where he’s already tenting in his underwear. He tugs them off and wraps his hand around himself, stroking himself slowly.

“Fuck... I’d want... I’d want you to use me. Sit on my cock and fuck yourself on it while I’m still tied up. Fuck my mouth and come on my face.” Harry’s hand starts speeding up a bit as he’s talking, just picturing and imagining what having Louis doing those things would feel like. He bets it would be magical.

Louis groans on the other line, Harry can hear what might be Louis also jerking off. “Oh, god, that would feel amazing. Fucking myself on your cock as hard as I want while you watch, unable to do anything about it, shit.”

Harry whines. “Fuck yeah. And you won’t let me come until I’ve made you come at least twice.”

“Mmmm, so you like it when I make you beg, then?” Louis’ voice has gone softer, almost a whisper like he’s out of breath.

“Yes.” Harry can feel his orgasm coming close. He moans when he hears Louis on the other side, his breath hitching and whining.

“Okay, then stop touching yourself for me,” Louis says, trying to gain some authority to his voice.

Harry’s hand freezes and whines. “Okay,” he tries not to sound petulant.

“Good. Now, can you put your phone on speakerphone so you can use both hands for what I’m about to ask you?”

“Yes, one second.” Harry taps on the speaker icon and sets the phone beside him so that he can hear Louis clearly. “Okay, it’s set.”

“Good boy. What’s your color, baby?” Louis asks.

“Green,” Harry responds.

“Okay, good. Can you take your hands and bring them up to your nipples for me? Pinch them. Not too hard, but hard enough to feel it sting. Is that okay?”

“Yes.” Harry does as he’s told. He takes his thumbs and middle fingers and takes his nipples between them, rubbing and pinching at the nubs. He tugs on them experimentally at first before he does it harder, making it hurt so good. Harry moans. “Fuck.”

“You like that, baby? You like it when Daddy plays with your nipples?” Louis’ voice filters through Harry’s ears. He’s got his eyes closed, but he pictures Louis right here with him. He imagines Louis being the one on top of him, his mouth on his nipples, nibbling and biting them hard.

“Ye-yes, I love it. More, please.” Harry tugs harder. His body feels hot to the touch, his cock twitching between his legs as he whines. He’s so hard he feels he could explode.

“You’re so good for me, baby,” Louis croons into the phone. “How about you start fucking yourself so I can hear how beautiful you sound when you orgasm.”

“Okay, okay.” Harry doesn’t waste a second as his hand flies to his dick, licking a stripe across his palm before wrapping it around himself. “Oh god.”

He can hear Louis on the phone, incoherent noises spilling out of him too as they both bring themselves to orgasm. Harry’s builds in record time and, before he knows it, he’s shouting, “I’m gonna come!” That’s all the warning he gives before he yelps, his body stiffens before it shakes as he comes hard, white stripes decorating his hand and chest. Harry pants, sweat covering his entire body. He almost forgets Louis isn’t really here with him as his head instinctively turns to the other side of the bed and he finds it empty, just the phone sitting by the pillow next to him.

Harry can hear Louis breathing heavy, coming down from his own high. Harry wishes he hadn’t missed hearing Louis come. “You did so well, baby,” Louis finally says.

Harry smiles languidly and he wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. He can feel the come drying on his chest and he wants to get up and hop in the shower but he also doesn’t want to hang up the phone. He wants to keep talking to Louis.

“Are you there, baby?”

Harry didn’t realize he hadn’t responded so he shuffles a bit on the bed, picking up the phone. “Ye-yes, I’m here. Sorry, I was still recovering. That was intense.”

“How are you feeling?”

Harry’s brain feels muddled in his post orgasmic haze and he finds himself thinking about Louis’ question. “I’m good. So good. Thank you.”

When Harry and Louis hang up and Harry prepares to get in the shower, he feels so much lighter, more than ready for the rest of this promotional tour.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis doesn’t know what he’s doing. Well, he does know. He’s on his way to New York. He’s on an airplane flying to New York where Harry currently is scheduled to do some radio interviews and meet and greets.

The thing is, Louis has no reason to be going to New York right now. He had told Niall he was going to meet with possible tour managers but he was full of shit. He does have one meeting with a potential but he scheduled it just so that he would have a reason to be in New York. It’s just that ever since he had that very hot phone conversation with Harry the other day, he has been wanting to see him. Louis doesn’t want to think about why he’s actually flying across the country to do so but he just is. End of story.

A driver picks him up from the airport as soon as he lands, taking him straight to the hotel. It’s the same one Harry, Zayn and Liam are staying in. He had let Zayn know he was coming with the same excuse he’d given Niall. Thankfully neither of them suspect he’s lying which helps them try to keep their little arrangement under wraps.

Louis checks into the hotel and goes to his room. He decides to take a long, hot bath to just give himself some time to think before he does anything else. His meeting isn’t until tomorrow so he has the rest of the day to do as he pleases.

After his bath, Louis decides to roam around the city. He still has a couple of hours to kill before Harry is done with his interviews. He walks around the neighborhood to explore a little bit. He eats a late lunch at a nice little Thai place that has the most delicious Pad Thai he’s ever tasted. He walks a few more blocks before he stumbles upon a storefront that piques Louis’ interest. He enters the establishment and explores the area.

A young man approaches Louis as he studies the vibrators that are on the display.

“Hello, welcome to Desires. Can I help you find anything today?” The man is smiling politely at Louis. He’s got blonde hair and hazel eyes, and he’s staring at Louis expectantly.

“Actually, yes. I’m looking for nipple clamps?” Louis asks. Ever since his conversation with Harry and getting to hear how much he loves having his nipples played with, Louis hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it. He brought a few supplies with him but something that Louis doesn’t possess is nipple clamps. He wants to find the perfect ones for Harry and give them to him.

The young man brightens. “Yes, of course. They’re over here.” He walks down a couple of aisles and Louis follows him. Louis wonders if he’s the owner of the place or has just been working here for a really long time because he seems to know his way around here really well. They stop right next to the anal plugs. “Aha. Here we are.” The man, Jonathan, his name tag says, gestures towards the different varieties of nipple clamps displayed.

“Thank you, Jonathan.” Jonathan smiles, leaving Louis to continue exploring before letting him know he’ll be over at the register if he needs anything.

Louis thanks him and begins to search for what he’s looking for. There’s quite a good selection, from simple clamps to fancy ones Louis doesn’t think he’d know how to work if he got them. There’s even some really pretty ones with different colored studs and even some with feathers. His eyes land on the perfect pair. The chain and clamps are all metal dyed a pretty pink that Louis finds oddly fitting for Harry. It reminds him of Harry’s pink and plump lips and the way they get when he bites into them, or the way they flush when he’s turned on. As soon as he sees them he knows he has to get them.

When Louis returns to the hotel, it’s well into the evening. He settles into his room and pulls his phone out to text Harry.

Louis: Not sure if Zayn let you know but I’m here in New York. Room 428, if you’re free tonight?

The longer it takes Harry to respond, the more Louis starts to second guess himself and his decision to travel all the way over here. When his phone finally notifies him he has a text, his heart almost jumps out of his chest.

Harry: Liam is hanging out but I can just let him know I’m too tired so he can leave. I’ll meet you in a bit.

Louis lets out a relieved breath. He’d feel bad about Harry having to ditch Liam but then he remembers that Zayn is in the same hotel so he doesn’t feel so bad after all. While he waits, Louis changes into something more comfortable. Stripping down to his pants, he realizes putting clothes on might be pointless but he throws a t-shirt on just in case. He freshens up a bit after all the walking he did around the neighborhood and by the time he’s ready, he hears a faint knock on the door. Louis’ heartbeat races as he approaches.

Harry is as stunning as always. Louis can see the exhaustion in his eyes, the way they droop a little even though he’s smiling, big and bright, but he seems genuinely happy to see Louis. He appears soft in an old band t-shirt and shorts. Louis welcomes him in, moving aside to let him pass, and he can’t help but inhale the little breeze that Harry creates when he walks by. He smells like lavender and sandalwood, just so lovely.

“How was your day?” Louis asks as he closes the door and follows him inside.

Harry sits on one of the chairs in the little lounge area. “It was good. Tiring as all hell, but really good. A lot of fans showed up, which was nice,” Harry tells him.

“Do you want something to drink or to eat? I can order room service,” Louis points out.

Harry shrugs. “Sure, that would be lovely. Liam and I were about to decide on dinner when you texted me.”

Louis tries not to cringe. “I’m so sorry about that, I didn’t mean to interrupt your time with your best friend.”

Harry shakes his head. “It’s fine. I kind of feel like Liam was hanging out with me because he felt bad that he kept ditching me for Zayn, so this time I got to ditch him,” he giggles. Louis laughs too.

“Alright, well then I don’t feel so bad after all.” Louis picks up the hotel room phone and orders a pizza and some snacks with some wine. He turns on the television so he and Harry have something to do while they wait for the food. Harry tells him about his day, about the different interviews he did and the fans he got to meet and take pictures with.

The food arrives and they eat comfortably while they watch 50 First Dates playing on one of the movie channels.

“I love a good rom com,” Harry tells him in between bites of pizza. Louis finds him endearing as fuck.

After they eat, the movie ends and Louis turns off the TV and turns to face Harry.

“So... I got you something,” Louis starts. At that, Harry’s eyebrow raises curiously.

“You did?” He sounds surprised, which is fair. Louis has never bought Harry anything before.

Louis gets up and walks over to the nightstand by the bed, retrieving the black bag he brought in earlier that day. He kind of wishes he would have wrapped it up or something to see Harry’s face as he opens the gift. Instead, he decides to just bring the bag over to where Harry is seated. He suddenly gets nervous, his face flushing as he places the bag in Harry’s hands.

“Ever since our conversation the other day… I haven’t stopped thinking… so I saw this and thought it would be perfect for you. But, if you don’t like it, I won’t be offended or hurt,” Louis feels the need to clarify.

Harry nods and takes the bag, eyeing it curiously. When he opens it and takes a peek at what’s inside, his cheeks turn red. “Louis,” his voice is breathless, with a hint of awe in it. He takes the item out of the bag and plays with it between his hands. “Are these…”

“They’re nipple clamps,” Louis finishes for him. “Since you love having your nipples stimulated so much, I figured maybe we can try them?” He watches Harry nervously, unsure of what his reaction might be.

Harry grins, his dimple caving into his cheek. “Yes, yes, I would love to. I’ve always wanted to try them.” His gaze goes back to the clamps as he uses his fingers to squeeze them open and closed. He stretches his hand out toward Louis. “Will you put them on me?” His eyes are bright and hopeful and Louis doesn’t think he’ll ever stop feeling captivated by him.

Louis takes the clamps into his hand. “Of course, baby.” His voice morphs into the one he knows Harry loves. And sure enough, Harry’s eyes close. “Why don’t you take off your clothes for me and lay down on the bed. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Don’t touch yourself, okay?”

Harry practically leaps off the couch, nodding and saying, “Yes, Daddy,” before Louis even finishes his sentence. Louis goes into the bathroom to take a wee. He wastes a bit of time, sure to make Harry fill with anticipation. He takes off what little clothes he has on and runs a few fingers through his fringe, checking himself in the mirror one last time before he finally comes out.

Harry is a vision. He’s on the bed, eyes facing the ceiling, and it reminds Louis of that time in what feels ages ago, when he first met Harry. The eager boy waiting for Louis to undress, waiting for instruction from him. It’s like no time has passed and they’ve both been transported back to that time. It seems crazy to think about how far they’ve come and what has happened since that night. Louis shakes himself out of those thoughts as soon as they come.

“How are you doing, baby? What’s your color?” Louis approaches the bed, the clamps clutched tightly in his hand.

Harry’s head snaps to where Louis stands, he bites his lip and it looks like he’s keeping himself from whining. Good boy. “Green.”

Louis crosses his arms. “I had something in mind for you. How do you feel about being tied up again? This time your hands and feet?”

Harry nods before Louis even finishes. “Yes, yes. Please.”

Louis wants to giggle at Harry’s eagerness but he doesn’t. “Okay. Give me a minute to get things ready, okay?”

 

**XXX**

 

Harry’s body is trembling with so much need, his eyes are shut tightly as he listens to Louis rustling around getting things ready. He’s clamping his lips shut, trying to keep himself from crying out to tell Louis to hurry up.

Harry is filled with so much want, the build up of the days spent away from Louis, craving him, needing him. Harry was relieved to get the text from him earlier today letting him know he was in the same building. As soon as he read the message, Harry felt his entire body relax. It didn’t take much to get Liam to leave his hotel room, faking being so tired he was falling asleep while they were watching a film. He’d scrambled to take a quick shower and throw something comfortable on before heading over, not wanting to seem too eager. Seeing Louis on the other side of the door when he answered, it was like coming up for air.

Now that Harry is here, laying on Louis’ bed just waiting, he feels his body vibrating with all this pent up desire and he needs to find his release.

A weight dipping the bed makes Harry flutter his eyes open and Louis’ face comes into focus. His eyes are blue like the ocean, his hair looks feathery soft, and he’s got a smile on his face making Harry want to do whatever he wants.

Harry’s eyes meet Louis’. “Are you ready?”

Harry nods. “Yes.”

Louis raises his hand to show Harry what he has. “I’m going to strap you to these on the bed. Is that okay?”

“Yes.” Harry can barely get the word out because he just feels so overwhelmed with everything. He wants it all.

Louis stands up and walks to the end of the bed by Harry’s feet. “Can you spread your legs wider for me?”

Harry does as he’s told and Louis wraps one of the velcro straps around one foot, attaching the other end to the corner of the bed before doing the same with the other foot. He tugs on it to make sure it’s nice and secure. It’s tight but not so tight that it’s uncomfortable for Harry, which he appreciates.

“Stretch your arms out for me,” Louis instructs. Again, Harry follows, stretching both of his arms, one on each corner of the bed as Louis ties them up and fastens them. After pulling on them to make sure they’re secure, Louis hums in approval.

“Perfect. Now,” Louis climbs on the bed right between Harry’s thighs. He leans down to kiss on the sensitive skin there. “I’m going to put this cock ring on the base of your dick, okay? It will help you last so that you don’t come before I tell you to,” he explains.

“O-okay,” Harry stutters out. He watches as Louis takes the stretchy ring and places it expertly behind his balls. He kisses the tip of Harry’s dick when he’s done.

“Are you with me, baby?” Louis’ voice makes Harry’s head snap to where he is.

“Yes, I’m good.”

Louis takes the nipple clamps and approaches him. “Good.” He climbs back on the bed, straddling Harry’s hips. Harry can feel Louis’ bum right above his cock and he tries to concentrate on not bucking his hips up into the warmth of his body. Louis leans down to take one of Harry’s nipples into his mouth. He circles his tongue around the nub, taking it between his teeth and nibbling on it.

Harry whines as he feels the sting of Louis’ teeth. It feels so good, so grounding, Harry’s eyes close shut, taking in the feeling, the pain. It’s not long before Louis does the same to Harry’s other nipple. Again, he licks around and over it before taking it between his teeth and biting, making it sting in the best way. Harry twitches beneath him, feeling his restraints keeping him from fully writhing on the bed.

When Louis pulls back, admiring his handiwork, Harry follows his gaze and he sees his pinkened nipples hard and perky. Louis smiles and takes the nipple clamps, placing one on the first nipple carefully. As soon as the clamp pinches onto Harry’s skin, a whine escapes his lips.

“Fuck,” he breathes out. He concentrates on his breathing, making sure he’s taking deep, calming breaths so he doesn’t over exert himself. When Harry’s gaze meets Louis, he’s watching him very carefully.

“Are you ready for the other one? What’s your color?” Louis checks in.

Harry swallows hard, licking his lips before responding. “Green. I’m ready.”

Louis’ gaze doesn’t waver for a moment, then he takes the second clamp and pulls it open, placing it on his other nipple and letting the metal pinch around the skin. Again, Harry groans, the bite of the metal against his nipple hurts in the best way. Never has pain felt this good for him before. It’s pulling him in, taking him to another plane of existence, one Harry isn’t quite ready to go to just yet. The weight on top of him— Louis— brings him back along with his angelic voice.

[nsfw manip](https://imgur.com/qdpqvNa)

“How is that?” Louis’ voice helps Harry focus on the task at hand.

Harry blinks heavily before smiling. He wants to laugh and he doesn’t know why. The mixture of pain and pleasure he’s experiencing is making him feel euphoric. Like being high, only better.

“‘s good,” he slurs. His face hurts from how much he’s smiling, but he doesn’t even care.

Louis chuckles. “Alright.” He swivels his hips back and forth, his stare never wavering from Harry’s, making him whine in response. Louis leans down, his lips coming close to Harry’s ear and he can feel his warm breath. “I want you to fuck me, so good, baby.”

Harry groans. “Yes. God, yes. Please, please,” he babbles.

Louis comes back up and continues undulating his hips in such a way that traps Harry’s dick right between his arse cheeks. The pressure is good but not enough and it makes Harry want to grab Louis, flip him over and fuck him into the mattress. But the velcro biting into his wrists isn’t letting him so he just has to lay there and take it. Let Louis use him for whatever he pleases while Harry gets to watch.

Louis stops suddenly and Harry wants to complain but he stops himself. The ache of the clamps comes back since the friction on his dick has disappeared. Harry closes his eyes for a moment to just breathe.

Louis climbs off of Harry to reach over for the lube and a condom on the nightstand next to them. Without looking at Harry, Louis turns to straddle him again, this time his back is facing him and he’s got a perfect view of Louis’ luscious bum right in front of him. Louis opens the bottle of lube and Harry can hear him closing the cap before he reaches over behind himself, and…

“Oh, my God,” Harry moans out as he sees Louis begin to finger himself right in front of him.

Harry wants to cry, because he wants to be the one that has his fingers inside of Louis’ tight little hole. He wants to feel the warmth around him, wondering how many of Harry’s fingers Louis can take. Instead, Harry bites his lip and just watches. He watches as Louis starts with one finger, slipping it inside of himself and working himself open, little by little. It’s like the worst type of torture that Harry has ever experienced. By the time Louis is on his third finger, he’s making the most beautiful little noises while Harry is just there, a mere prop watching the most gorgeous man he’s ever laid eyes on opening himself up to take his cock.

God, Harry doesn’t think he can wait much longer.

Louis doesn’t stop with just three fingers though. He smirks, like the handsome little devil that he is before sticking a fourth finger, his pinky, along with his other fingers inside of himself. He whines obscenely, knowing full well that Harry is right there just watching him. His eyes don’t leave Harry’s as he spreads his fingers and shows Harry how ready he is for him.

Louis pulls his fingers out, wiping them on the duvet before grabbing the condom and unwrapping it. His fingers work quickly to get the condom on Harry, who feels so fucking sensitive. His dick is so hard and so red, just ready to explode. Once the condom is on, Louis lifts himself up, adjusting himself right above Harry, taking his dick into his worked up hole. He starts slowly, a whine coming out of his lips as soon as Harry enters him.

“Fuck, you’re big,” Louis groans as he continues to lower himself until he’s fully seated.

Harry breathes in and out. The sight of his dick completely buried inside of Louis, it feels like a dream. The tight heat enveloping him is a lot and he’s relieved to find that Louis also needs a moment to gain his bearings before he starts to move.

When Louis finally, finally begins to move, Harry thinks he’s going to die. Louis starts slow at first, just a few swivels of his hips, back and forth. The movement is mesmerizing to watch, the way Louis’ waist slides so smoothly, almost like a dance. It isn’t long before Louis is working himself up and his movements become more erratic. Harry feels Louis’ hands on his legs as he keeps himself balanced, fucking himself up and down on Harry’s cock. The noises coming out of him only turn Harry on more. He wishes he could see Louis’ face, hold him close and drill into him. But Louis doesn’t even acknowledge him, just continues using him.

Harry lifts his hips up as much as he can to meet Louis’ movements, and when he does Louis yelps.

“Fuck, yes. God, yes. Feel so good inside of me. Fuck me so good, baby,” Louis babbles as he continues bouncing on Harry’s dick. Louis’ arse bounces obscenely as it slaps against Harry’s hips. Harry wishes he could touch so bad.

Finally, finally, Louis lifts up and Harry slips out of him but he turns around to face him. Louis adjusts himself back to how he was before putting his hands on Harry’s chest, fucking himself even harder.

If Harry thought Louis was beautiful, the way that he looks now is ethereal. Louis’ fringe is wet with sweat and matted against his forehead, his lips are bitten red, and his skin glistens. Harry wants to lick him all over.

“Fuck, Louis,” Harry groans after one particular thrust.

“Your cock is so good,” Louis pants, “Fuck me so good.” He reaches down to wrap his hand around his cock, tugging on it in earnest, Harry bucks his hips up and that does it. Louis yells as streams of come splash all over Harry’s chest. “Oh, god, fucking shit.” His movements slow down until he finally stops, climbing off of Harry.

Louis gently removes the condom and cock ring, before he leans down between Harry’s legs and takes him into his mouth. Louis works on the head, sucking and swirling his tongue around the tip before taking him deeper. Louis pops off, reaching over for the lube, and pouring a generous amount on his fingers. He takes Harry back into his mouth, reaching a finger into Harry’s hole.

“Oh, fuck!” The sensation is unbelievable. Between the pain from the clamps, the tight heat of Louis’ mouth and the finger prodding at his prostate, Harry really wants to come, he can feel his body asking for the release it’s been craving for all week.

“Louis, please,” Harry whines.

Louis stops sucking to say, “Not yet, baby,” before going back in. This time he goes in deeper, so deep he can feel his head in the back of Louis’ throat. Louis’ now two fingers deep inside of him and it’s all getting to be so much, almost too much. Harry whines, Louis’ name coming out of his lips like a prayer, hoping that he’ll get to come soon because he doesn’t think that he can hold on any longer, but he doesn’t want to let Louis down.

Louis’ other hand comes to trail up Harry’s chest while his fingers are still inside of him and his dick is still in his mouth. His index finger touches the chain that holds the clamps and before Harry’s brain can even compute what is happening, Louis tugs on the chain as his other fingers hit Harry’s prostate and his cock reaches Louis’ throat, and it’s the most intense pain and pleasure Harry has ever experienced, it has him coming. Hard.

“Oh, god!” Harry’s body shakes, the restraints pulling him back as he does. Louis sucks him through it, both of his hands are now on Harry’s hips trying to keep him in place. Louis sucks him clean before pulling away and watching in awe as Harry continues to tremble, the aftershocks of his orgasm hitting him hard.

Harry’s brain is swirling, his head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton and everything around him is hazy. He feels a wave of calm and peace take over him and all he wants to do is just sleep. He doesn’t feel any pain, he doesn’t even think he can feel his body right now, all he knows is he just wants Louis to be here, close to him. He thinks he can hear Louis say something but it all sounds muffled, like he’s underwater, so he doesn’t bother trying to make sense of anything right now. He just closes his eyes and waits, basking in this feeling. Like flying high on a cloud.

Harry isn’t sure how much time has passed but by the time he comes back, the restraints are no longer on him and he’s under a blanket on the bed with Louis’ arms wrapped around him and his voice whispering praises into his ear.

“You were so good. So amazing. You’re perfect. You did so well for me, my good boy,” Louis murmurs against his ear.

Harry falls asleep with a smile on his face and Louis’ words playing around in his head.

-

Harry wakes up disoriented, blinking slowly, realizing that Louis is nudging him awake.

Louis kisses his shoulder gently, “I’m so sorry to wake you, love, but you have to eat something. I got us room service.”

It takes Harry a moment to process the words. Right. He’s in Louis’ hotel room and just experienced one of the most explosive orgasms of his life. He rubs at his eyes, trying to fully wake up before sitting up. He glances down at his chest and he’s still naked but he’s cleaned up. Harry has no recollection whatsoever of how he got all the streaks of come off his chest but doesn’t think too much about it before standing up on wobbly legs to retrieve his clothes.

Harry catches a glimpse of the alarm clock on the nightstand, it’s 10 p.m. He must have been out for just a couple of hours but he feels like he’s been sleeping all night.

There’s a knock on the door and Louis walks over to answer it, bringing the cart of food in as Harry finishes putting his t-shirt on and sits on one of the chairs by the sitting area.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Louis tells him.

“I’m famished,” Harry says. The roughness of his voice catches him off guard, so he clears it, reaching over for one of the water bottles provided and taking a hefty gulp.

Without a word, Louis places the plate of assorted fruits, yogurt and granola on the table for them. Harry mixes some yogurt with the granola and some grapes and bananas, taking a spoonful into his mouth. He moans at how good it tastes, not realizing how hungry he truly was.

Louis takes a spoon from his own bowl before asking, “How are you feeling?”

Harry takes another sip of water before answering. “A bit sore, but overall I feel good. Don’t really remember much after I came, if I’m honest.”

Louis continues staring at him. He’s wearing some boxer briefs and a t-shirt himself. His hair wet and freshly showered.

“You were a little out of it. I cleaned you up and cuddled you for a while, and you fell asleep,” Louis informs him.

Harry feels his cheeks flush at that. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to...”

Louis waves his hand, interrupting Harry’s apology. “Please, don’t apologize, Harry. You were in subspace. That’s a completely normal thing that happens. That’s why I took care of you and helped bring you back down.”

Harry had heard about subspace, and he’s experienced a certain level of it in the past, even with Louis. But he’s never been this deep into it. So far in, he doesn’t even remember Louis taking care of him. Harry is glad Louis was there, because he doesn’t think he’d trust anyone else with such a task. Still, some part of him feels embarrassed Louis had to take care of him because Harry was so useless.

“No. None of that,” Louis tells him, seeming to read Harry’s thoughts. Louis places his spoon down, regarding Harry carefully. “Harry, this is why I emphasized the importance of aftercare when we discussed our arrangement. I like doing it and I don’t want you to feel bad or embarrassed about it. I only want you to feel safe and taken care of, okay?”

Louis’ stare is unwavering, and Harry just wants to walk over to him and kiss him. He wants to kiss Louis so hard he’s breathless. But they still haven’t done that and Harry isn’t about to be the one who initiates it, wanting to respect certain unspoken boundaries and all that. So, Harry takes his bottom lip into his teeth and nods instead.

“Yes. Thank you. You know, for taking care of me,” he says instead.

Louis’ lips curve up into a gentle smile. “You’re welcome.”

They both resume eating their late night snack.

As they finish up, Louis breaks the comfortable silence they’ve fallen into. “I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things, if that’s okay.”

“Yes, of course,” Harry answers. He tries not to work himself up in thinking Louis might want to end their arrangement. He feels silly worrying about it, but their arrangement is only temporary and it’s only a matter of time before Louis finds someone else and ends things with Harry.

“Do you get tested?” Louis’ question snaps Harry out of his paranoid thoughts. And, oh. That’s not at all what Harry was expecting.

“Yeah. Last time I got checked was about six months ago,” Harry answers. He’d gotten tested not long after ending his last relationship.

Louis hums. “How would you feel about getting tested again? So we can... you know?” Louis seems flustered, he clears his throat and tries again. “I’d like to... if you want to of course, get tested so we can, you know, forego condoms…” he trails off.

The realization of what Louis is trying to tell him hits Harry like a freight train. “Oh... Oh!” Harry nods. “Yes, I’d like that. That’d be... yeah.”

Harry’s reaction elicits a giggle out of Louis. “Okay then. We’ll both get tested when we get back to LA. Though, obviously, we can each go to our own doctor, but we’ll let each other see the results.”

Harry licks his lips after taking another sip of water, he’s feeling suddenly very parched. “Yes, of course. Sounds like a good plan.”

There’s a beat of silence before Louis continues. “The other thing I wanted to talk about was... since you loved the nipple clamps so much, I was thinking maybe we can get a few more things you might want to try?”

Harry raises his eyebrows in interest. He loved the nipple clamps and he hopes they can use them again sometime soon. “Yes, I’d love that.”

Louis’ smile morphs into a grin. “Great.”

After they finish eating, they sit on the couch together with Louis’ laptop and search for things they both might want to try. They purchase a vibrating plug, a ball gag, and a paddle for now, with a promise to revisit if either of them want to try anything else in the future.

By the time Harry checks the time again it’s nearly midnight.

“I should head back to my room. I need a shower and we have an early morning tomorrow,” Harry tells Louis regretfully.

Louis nods. “Alright.” They get up and Louis walks him to the door. Harry turns to face Louis and, again, he feels the need to kiss Louis. They’re gazing at each other and Harry wonders if Louis is thinking the same thing. If maybe Louis wants to kiss him too, but when Louis tells him goodnight instead, Harry deflates a little bit.

“Goodnight, Lou. Sleep well,” Harry says before turning around and leaving. Harry tries to not imagine what Louis’ lips would feel like against his own before going to sleep later that night.


	7. I Fall to Pieces When I'm With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Cherry by Lana Del Rey

The weeks pass by like days and Louis thinks he’s going insane. Things are in full swing for both Bebe and Harry. Both singles have done smashingly well, debuting on the Hot 100. Both artists have been busy doing promotional touring with their teams while Louis has had to stay behind and take care of the executive stuff. It makes him miss his A&R days but he does the best he can. It’s not that he hates his new position, he’s actually learned to appreciate it more, if that’s possible.

It doesn’t help, though, that he misses Harry like crazy. It’s not that he hasn’t seen Harry but they haven’t had time to do more than exchange a few pleasantries before one of them gets pulled into something work related. The late night dirty calls between the two of them were good at first but now Louis feels like they’re not enough. There’s nothing like having Harry’s body close to him, being able to touch him, feel him. Needless to say, Louis is nearing his breaking point. 

The good news is that Bebe’s album is finished and set to release in the spring, and Harry’s album is close to being finished as well. 

Louis has been tempted to travel to where Harry is but he doesn’t want to make a habit out of that; not only because he and Harry aren’t dating but also because he can’t stop thinking about kissing him. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking of Harry’s lips and what it would feel like to taste him, not since the first time he laid eyes on him. The more time they spend together, the worse it gets. And the last time Harry and Louis got to spend alone time together, Louis felt himself drawn to his lips more than usual. He didn’t give in though, and he forced himself to just say goodnight and leave it at that. At times, he contemplates that moment, wishing it had played out differently.

January is coming to an end and Harry’s birthday is just around the corner. Louis has been thinking about maybe getting him something but he’s not sure. He keeps having to remind himself more often than not that Harry isn’t his boyfriend, but it’s not really helping.

Louis is in London when he receives a call from Harry.

“Hello?” Louis croaks into the phone. He checks the clock on the nightstand and it’s almost 5 a.m. 

“Hey, Lou. I’m so sorry to wake you, I know it’s super early over there but I just couldn’t wait. I needed to talk to you,” Harry’s excited voice booms through the receiver. Louis rubs the sleep from his eyes and sits up, wanting to give Harry his full attention.

“Sure, don’t worry. What is it? Is everything okay?” Louis tries not to panic but he’s not sure he’s succeeding. When someone calls at the crack of dawn saying they need to talk to him, he can’t help but think the worst is happening.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Yes, everything is okay. Things are great actually,” Harry clarifies. Louis relaxes immediately, letting out a breath.

“Shit, okay,” he breathes. “What’s up?”

“I just left the studio and the album is officially done. Like, Tabby and I went over everything and she thinks it’s perfect and I tend to agree with her. We’ve been going at it all day and it’s done, Louis. It’s finally done,” Harry’s words are jumbled together into one breath and when he’s done talking, it takes Louis a moment to realize what he’s saying.

“The album is finished?” Louis asks. 

“Yes. It’s finished,” Harry repeats.

There’s so many different emotions flowing through Louis all at once. There’s excitement, happiness, but most of all... relief. The album is done and he can finally listen to it and they can start planning on a release date. Louis is fucking ecstatic.

“Oh, my God. This is great news, Harry! Thank you for calling to tell me. I’m just... I’m so proud of you... of everyone,” Louis tells him.

“Thanks. I want to celebrate, with you, and with everyone. My birthday is coming up and I want to throw a birthday slash album wrap up party. When will you be back in town?” Harry asks.

Louis has to think about it for a minute. “I fly back this evening so I’ll be in Los Angeles tomorrow.”

“That’s perfect. I’ll plan something for this weekend, if you’re not busy. I’d love for you and Niall to be there,” Harry says.

“I’ll clear my schedule if I have to,” Louis assures him.

Louis can almost hear the smile in Harry’s voice when he says, “Okay. Well, I’ll let you get some sleep. I’ll see you soon, okay?” There’s a tone of hopefulness in Harry’s voice that makes Louis’ stomach swoop.

“I’ll see you soon, Haz. Bye.”

-

Louis tends to the business that brought him to London in the first place. After a bloody long meeting with some executives, he’s finally home free. He calls Niall to check in with him since he’s pretty much holding down the fort back in Los Angeles and he’s excited to hear the news that Harry’s album is finally complete. They make plans to meet up when Louis returns.

Louis decides to do some shopping before he has to be at the airport. Since Harry is throwing a party, he convinces himself it’s only fair that he bring a gift, since that is what you do at birthday parties, right? He visits a few shops but turns up empty handed after spending some time browsing around them. There is nothing really that catches his eye that screams “Harry” to him. Louis doesn’t think anything he’s come across is good enough for someone like Harry, feeling he deserves something more thoughtful. He stumbles upon a little shop that sells jewelry and little trinkets and decides to have a look there.

His eyes catch sight of the white gold charm bracelets on display. There’s a sign that informs him he can have a custom made one and as Louis eyes the different types of bracelets, he stops on one that has little fruit charms on them and that’s when he decides what he wants to get.

Louis glances up to wave the employee over. “Can I get some help, please?”

The woman happily obliges, approaching Louis to ask what she can help him find.

“Would I be able to get one of those charm bracelets but with one little fruit charm and a plain silver charm that I can get engraved?” Louis asks, hoping that they’re able to.

The woman nods. “Yes, of course. We can do custom made ones to whatever you’d like, sir.”

“Would I be able to get it done by today?” Louis asks to make sure.

“We can have it engraved for you right here, right now, sir,” she confirms.

Louis smiles. “Perfect. I’ll do that then.”

The lady takes out an order sheet and pen to start writing down the information. “What type of charm would you like and what do you want us to engrave on it for you?”

Louis grins. “I’d like you to engrave the letter H, and I’d like you to include a little kiwi charm, please.”

-

Louis isn’t the biggest fan of nightclubs, feeling like he’s way over the age that likes to come and get drunk and dance the night away. But he’s here for Harry’s birthday so he’ll make an exception. 

The place isn’t too packed and there’s a good amount of people on the dancefloor, while Louis makes his way over to the reserved area where he knows Harry’s party is taking place. He goes through the red velvet curtains to the private room and finds a few tables of people. There’s Harry’s band, Tabby, Niall, Bebe and her manager, but there’s no sign of Harry. Louis approaches Niall’s table and greets everyone.

“Where’s Harry?” Louis asks Niall after the waitress asks him for his drink order. 

Niall shrugs. “Last time I saw him he was going to dance with Clare.”

“Why aren’t you out there dancing? I figured we’d have to drag you from the dance floor,” Louis teases.

Niall scoffs. “For your information, I just got back from dancing. But I’m taking a little drinking break, thank you very much.” Niall lifts his beer glass before taking a sip.

The waitress comes back with Louis’ own beer and he accepts it gratefully. He munches on some appetizers and talks to people around him. Bebe, after much begging on her part, convinces Louis to dance with her so he joins her on the dancefloor.

New Rules by Dua Lipa is playing and when they join the rest of the crowd dancing, Louis catches sight of Harry. Harry is wearing tight fucking leather trousers that leave very little to the imagination, along with a very see through white blouse that has his tattoos on full display. He’s dancing with someone Louis doesn’t quite recognize... a taller man who’s a complete beef head. It takes everything inside of Louis not to walk over there and pull Harry away from him. 

Instead of doing that, Louis focuses on dancing with Bebe. He moves to the beat of the music, swaying from side to side. His eyes keep peeking over to where Harry is, to make sure he’s okay, he tells himself. Besides, what if someone recognizes Harry and thinks he’s dating this douchebag? No, Louis is just doing his job, making sure that doesn’t happen. 

Before he gains the courage to march over there to get Harry’s attention, Harry sees him and his face lights up like a kid on Christmas. He moves through the crowd to get to where Louis and Bebe are, leaving old beef head completely forgotten.

“Louis! You made it!” Harry yells over the music before wrapping his arms around him. He pulls away, still grinning, his face flushed and sweaty. 

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” Louis tells him, shouting by Harry’s ear. 

Harry’s eyes look away and Louis thinks he can see his cheeks getting redder. “Come on, let’s have a drink.” 

Harry pulls Louis away from the dance floor, taking him to the bar closest to their private event room and orders them both a drink.

“What about your friend over there?” Louis asks, pointing his thumb back to where the beef head was.

Harry shrugs. “He was just some random dude who started dancing with me. Nothing more.”

Louis chuckles, raising his hands up. “Hey, it’s okay. If you want to... you know... with him, you’re more than free to. It’s your birthday and you’re a very attractive single man. I’m not one to judge or anything,” he teases.

Harry’s face falls a bit, suddenly serious. He shakes his head. “No. I don’t want to. Not with him,” he says disheartened.

Louis pokes him in the face. “Hey, I was just teasing you. No need to get so serious. It’s your birthday, you’re supposed to be having fun.”

Harry’s face brightens up. “Yeah... you’re right.”

“That reminds me. I got you a little something…” Louis tells him. He pulls the small box out of his jacket pocket and places it on the bar top. “Happy Birthday, Harry.”

Harry stares at him, his eyes are a bit glazed from the alcohol, but he’s gazing at Louis with something he can’t quite describe. His eyes drift down to the box before gaping at Louis.

“Lou... you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to. You deserve it,” Louis tells him.

Harry opens the box and picks up the charm bracelet. “Oh, my God,” he marvels. He examines the two little charms on the bracelet and looks at Louis. “Thank you so much, Louis. I love it.”

Harry takes the bracelet and puts it on his wrist, shaking it and watching the little charms move around. “It’s wonderful.”

Louis pats Harry on the shoulder. “I’m glad you like it.”

They gaze at each other for a long moment before Harry startles. “I almost forgot. I got something for you, too!” Harry jumps up and disappears into the private room for a few minutes before he returns. He places a flash drive on the bar top. “The album, for you to listen to. I want to know what you think.”

Louis stares at him. “You know that I have to approve it before it’s released, right? We are all going to listen to it.”

Harry rolls his eyes playfully. “Yes, I know that. But I want you to listen to it, by yourself. Before everyone else. I want your honest opinion as my friend, not my boss.”

Louis takes the flash drive in his hand. “I can do that,” he assures him. And he means it. Now that Harry has put it out there, Louis is excited to hear it by himself. “I’ll get back to you.”

Harry flashes a smile. “I can’t wait.”

-

The next morning, Louis lets himself sleep in until his body wants to wake up. He makes tea and toast for a late breakfast before Eric comes over for his afternoon workout. Louis almost forgets about having Harry’s album in his possession until Eric is telling him he really enjoys Harry’s new single and has been listening to it nonstop. As soon as he realizes, he cuts the workout short, making up some excuse about forgetting about something job related. They were almost done anyway, so Louis doesn’t feel too bad.

Louis takes a quick shower and throws some sweats on before taking the flash drive into his home office. He turns his laptop on and, while it’s powering on, he retrieves his bluetooth speakers from his living room and connects them to his computer. He inserts the flashdrive and clicks on the file labeled as Harry’s album. He makes sure to silence his phone before hitting play.

The first song Louis immediately recognizes. It’s the first song from Harry he ever heard. Louis closes his eyes and relives that moment. The moment he almost walked out the door and this song played, stopping him in his tracks, making him come back and stay for the whole set. Louis wonders what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped, if he had never heard this. Would he have run into Harry somewhere else? Would someone else sign Harry? Louis is sure someone else would have found him, because he’s that talented.

The next song is “Sign of the Times”, and Louis thinks about Mexico, and that moment Harry walked in on him playing the melody on the piano. How easily the lyrics just flowed out of him, stunning Louis right there on the spot. He thinks of the all nighter they spent writing the song and showing it to Tabitha, seeing her reaction. It feels like ages ago now and here it is, as part of the album and a Hot 100 track.

Every song that plays is amazing. There are no two songs that sound the same, they each contain their own unique sound that all together are just so Harry. This album is the embodiment of who Harry Styles is and Louis thinks it’s absolutely brilliant. By the time it gets to the last song, “From the Dining Table”, a tear is rolling down Louis’ cheek. This is… not only is this album going to save the label, it’s going to make history, he can just feel it.

When the last song ends, Louis scrambles to get his shoes on, grabs his keys and he’s out the door. He drives to Harry’s apartment because he needs to see him. Louis has never been to Harry’s place but he remembers dropping him off once a while back when he refused to let Harry take public transportation after a late night at the studio. He finds a place to park and jumps out, skipping over to the front door. He finds the appropriate button for Harry and Liam’s apartment and presses it.

It takes a couple of tries before someone finally answers. “Hello?”

“Hey, Harry, it’s Louis. Can I come up?” 

“Um, yeah, of course,” Harry tells him, buzzing him in. 

Louis opens the front door and climbs three flights of stairs before arriving at Harry’s floor and sees Harry already at the door.

“Hey, Louis. What’s going on?” Harry’s eyebrows are pinched together in worry and Louis hates that he did that.

Louis is breathing hard from climbing all of those stairs. “Can I come in?”

Harry nods and moves aside to let Louis in. “Make yourself comfortable. Sorry our lift has been broken for the longest time, I don’t think our landlord ever plans on getting it fixed,” Harry rambles as he walks into the kitchen. Louis follows him closely behind. “Do you want some tea, or water? I was just getting ready to make dinner. Liam is out with Zayn, so I was trying to decide what I wanted to make…”

Harry continues to talk nervously avoiding Louis’ gaze and Louis can’t help but just grin like a fool. He watches Harry scramble to turn the kettle on, dropping the box of tea where all the tea bags fall out and he shoves them all back inside. And even in his flustered state, Louis is so taken aback by Harry’s beauty. Even right now, in his torn up Rolling Stones t-shirt and basketball shorts; his hair is wrapped in some type of headscarf to tame his wild curls. Louis just feels so damn lucky to be in Harry’s presence, to know him the way he does, he feels his heart soar.

“Harry,” Louis finally speaks up while Harry is fetching a couple of mugs from the cupboard. Harry freezes as soon as he hears Louis’ voice, and turns around slowly to face him. His eyebrows raising in question.

Louis doesn’t say anything, though. Instead, he approaches him in just a few steps until he’s right in front of him, mere centimeters away. They gaze at each other for a few moments, Louis swallows hard and takes a deep breath, his eyes trailing down to Harry’s lips. They’re pink and a bit chapped, and Louis has never wanted to kiss him more.

So he does. He leans in, closing the space between them and holding Harry’s face in his hands. He takes Harry’s lips in his, and Louis feels the room spinning. Nothing around him matters but Harry and his mouth as he takes him and kisses him. It starts out softly, just a gentle brush of lips but, as soon as Harry’s brain seems to catch on to what is happening, he opens his mouth, inviting Louis in. And Louis gladly takes it, licking into Harry’s mouth. Harry whines, only making Louis kiss him deeper. He tastes like tea and cinnamon, like warmth and home. Louis never wants to come up for air. Perhaps he never will.

 

**XXX**

 

Harry is out of breath, but he doesn’t want to stop kissing Louis. Not when he’s being kissed like he needs it to survive. Harry feels flushed, his face warm, his stomach fluttering with a million butterflies and he doesn’t want it to end. Because this, right here, being in front of Louis Tomlinson, kissing him, it’s one of the best things he’s had the pleasure of experiencing.

Louis is pinning him against the counter and Harry can feel his erection against his leg, making him moan. Louis kisses him deeper, taking Harry’s lip between his teeth and nipping at it, and Harry could die the happiest man alive right now. Louis begins to kiss his jaw and works his way down to his neck, nibbling and sucking, sure to leave a trail of marks, but Harry doesn’t even care. Pete will have to worry about covering those up later, because right now, all he wants is Louis.

The sound of Harry’s phone startles them both apart. They stare at each other, panting with red bitten lips, before Harry makes a move to answer it. He wipes at his mouth before pressing the green answer button.

“Hello?” 

“Sorry, did I wake you? Your voice sounds rough, man,” Liam asks, sounding a little guilty for having disrupted Harry’s ‘sleep’.

Harry’s eyes shift to Louis who is standing, pinching his bottom lip, staring at him.

“No, you’re fine. What’s up?” Harry just wants to get on with this conversation so that he and Louis can resume what they were doing.

“I’m on my way home and was just wondering if you wanted me to bring you something for dinner. I know we haven’t been grocery shopping since we’ve been traveling and stuff. Thought maybe I’d save you the trip and grab you something on the way.” 

And, shit. Well, this is going to put a damper on the plans Harry had for Louis; most of them involving the two of them naked in Harry’s room, but now it can’t happen since Louis is going to have to leave because there’s no way Liam can know that Louis is here, much less here snogging Harry.

“Yeah, that would be great actually. I was just making tea, trying to decide what I was gonna have for dinner. Thanks, Liam,” Harry makes sure to say Liam’s name so that Louis has an idea of what their conversation entails. Louis’ face seems to understand and Harry tries to show how sorry he is that he’s going to have to cut his visit short.

“Anything you want specifically?” 

“No, no. Anything is fine. Thanks, I’ll see you in a little bit, okay, bye!” Harry hangs up before his roommate can ask any more questions. Harry sighs. “I’m sorry but Liam’s on his way back.”

Louis nods, “Yeah, I got that. Well, I should head out then, yeah?”

“Wait. You never really told me why you were here in the first place... unless you came here just to kiss me?” Harry quirks his eyebrow playfully.

Louis chuckles. “That wasn’t my plan originally, no.” He pulls Harry closer to him, his hands on his waist. Harry catches himself from tripping over his own feet by putting his hands on Louis’ shoulders. “I listened to your album.” Louis’ eyes meet his. “And I just needed to tell you in person how incredible it was.” He tilts his head to kiss Harry chastely. “And how proud I am of you, and how far you’ve come.” He kisses Harry again. “And I have no doubt the album is going to be a smashing success.” Louis kisses Harry again, this time taking a little longer, brushing his lips against his and pulling away again.

Harry’s eyelids feel heavy when he pulls away. Louis always has a way of taking his breath away and now with his kiss, Harry will never breathe again. “Thank you,” is all Harry manages to finally say. He feels dumbfounded, unable to say anything else that might sound coherent.

Louis smiles, “Okay, well I’m gonna go. But let’s make time to have a proper night in, just the two of us, okay?”

Harry bites his bottom lip, nodding maybe a bit too eagerly but he doesn’t even care. “I can’t wait.”

Louis kisses him one last time before turning around to leave. “See you later, Curly.”

 

**XXX**

 

Louis welcomes the smoke from his cigarette into his lungs like a long lost friend. He’d feel ashamed if he didn’t think he needed it so much. He sucks on the fag, letting the burn he feels relax him, before exhaling and letting it out. 

“Hey, I thought you quit?” Niall’s voice breaks the peaceful, quiet few minutes Louis finally got to have for the first time in a while.

Louis shrugs. “I did. Now I’m back at it. This job is too fucking stressful.”

Niall makes a noncommittal sound. “That it is. But you were doing so well without it.”

“Yeah, I know. It is what it is, man.” Louis leaves it at that. He doesn’t really want to talk about his troubles. About how overwhelmed he’s feeling with Harry’s album release just around the corner. The meetings after countless meetings, the pushback he’s gotten from the board, it’s all just stuff Louis would rather not rehash, he just wants forget and move past them. Though, they’re also the reason why he’s smoking again, but whatever. “Did you need me for something?”

They’re both standing on the roof of the building where Louis likes to come and just think. Niall is probably one of the only people who knows this is Louis’ little escape from work stuff. It’s been that way ever since Louis first stepped foot in this building.

“Harry and Liam are here for the meeting we have in fifteen minutes. Just thought I’d let you know,” Niall informs him.

Louis drops the cigarette and puts it out with his foot. “Thanks, I’ll be right there.”

Niall gives him a thumbs up before turning around to leave. Louis beholds the view one last time; Los Angeles has a pretty decent skyline and from here he can see it really well. The sun is going to set soon and there’s a lot of traffic down below him. Louis takes a deep breath before turning around to head back inside.

The stuffiness of being indoors hits Louis immediately and he loosens the tie around his neck. Their meeting isn’t expected to be very long, just going over the final schedule of Harry’s promo tour for the album and stuff, but now Louis wishes he’d scheduled the meeting for somewhere else. Maybe somewhere outdoors because now that he’s gotten some fresh air, he doesn’t want to be inside anymore. 

“Alright, let’s get this meeting started because I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” Louis says as soon as he enters the conference room. He takes one of the water bottles Lauren placed on the table for them, takes three big gulps of it, and the meeting commences.

Louis feels like he’s on autopilot, everything around him happens and he’s not really paying attention, just nodding here and there, but he can’t really bring himself to concentrate. It’s like he’s run out of gas and needs to find a way to refuel before he completely gives out. But he doesn’t have time to do that right now because he’s the CEO and it feels like he is needed at three different places at once.

Louis doesn’t realize the meeting is over until he feels Harry nudging him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Louis startles, his mind coming back to focus on the present. Harry stares at him with worried eyes, his forehead pinched with concern and his lips formed into a small pout. When Louis studies the room around him he realizes everyone is already gone.

“Are you okay? You don’t look very good,” Harry asks.

Louis puts his face in his hands and rubs at his cheeks. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I’m just…” Louis waves his hands around, “all over the place.”

Harry hums, “Are you in your head a lot? Like in an overwhelming kind of way?”

Louis surveys Harry next to him, nodding. “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.”

Harry seems to be lost in thought before asking, “Is it okay... can I try something, to see if it helps?”

“Yeah, sure,” Louis tells him, unsure of what Harry might have in mind.

Harry looks around the room, suddenly seeming a bit unsure. “I don’t think I can do it here, though. Can we... can we go to your place?”

Louis checks his phone, it’s almost 6 o’clock. “Yeah, I’m actually done for the day. Do you want to meet me over there?”

Harry nods. “Yeah. I’ll see you there,” he says before turning around and walking away.

Louis really wants to know what Harry has in mind.

-

As soon as Harry enters the threshold of Louis’ home, it’s like he’s a different person.

“Take off all your clothes and get on your knees for me with your hands behind your back,” Harry instructs. His voice is hard and it goes straight to Louis’ dick. Louis automatically knows where this is going and he finds that he likes it so far.

Louis does as he’s told, taking off the joggers and t-shirt he’d put on when he’d gotten home and he kneels right in front of Harry, putting his hands behind his back and tilting his head up to face Harry, waiting for further instruction.

Harry smiles, bringing a hand down to caress Louis’ cheek. “Good boy. You did that so fast for me. What’s your color?”

His voice is so soft compared to when he gave Louis instructions, Louis feels his eyes closing when he hears Harry tell him how good he is. Louis can already feel his body relaxing.

“Green.”

Harry takes off his clothes, throwing them haphazardly aside before coming back to stand in front of Louis. Harry wraps his hand around his half hard cock and tugs on it a few times. Louis licks his lips, already feeling his mouth watering at the sight.

“Do you want to suck my cock?” Harry asks, seeming to notice the way Louis is craving him.

Louis nods, maybe a little too eagerly. “Yes. Yes, please.”

“Mmm, so polite. How can I deny you anything?” Harry leans to grab the back of Louis’ head, tugging on his hair and making it sting. Louis groans, he feels his entire body tingle from the pain and pleasure coursing through it.

Harry brings Louis’ head closer to his crotch. “Come on, love. Show me what you can do with that pretty mouth of yours.”

Louis takes Harry into his mouth without further comment. He licks Harry from his balls up to the tip before suckling at the head and then taking him further into his mouth. Louis goes in deeper, until he can feel the head of Harry’s cock on his throat, gagging a little bit, but recovering quickly, using his hand to stroke the rest of the length. Harry’s whines only eggs him on further, wanting nothing more than to keep making those noises come out of him. He pulls out for a second, just to catch his breath before going back in, again all the way down to his throat. This time he doesn’t gag and he uses that to his advantage, deepthroating Harry until his jaw aches. He feels the weight of Harry’s hand on his head, taking the lead in fucking into Louis’ mouth and Louis lets him. He moans after one particular deep thrust and he brings his hands back behind him, letting Harry just fuck into his mouth as much as he wants.

“Fuck, Lou. Your mouth feels so good,” Harry groans as he continues to thrust into the wet heat of Louis’ mouth. Louis moans again, his jaw aching in the best way, but he doesn’t want Harry to stop. When he feels Harry slowing down, Louis bobs his head in deeper, letting Harry know he wants him to keep going. So Harry does.

Louis closes his eyes, tears that have collected on the corners of his eyes trail down his cheeks. Before he knows it, Harry is shouting and he pulls off. Louis blinks his eyes open, watching as Harry strokes his cock hard and fast. Louis sticks his tongue out, eager to catch Harry’s come. Harry peers down at Louis and that seems to be what pushes him over the edge as he shakes and shouts Louis’ name. White, hot streaks of come land on Louis’ face and tongue. Harry drops to his knees in front of Louis and kisses him, licking into his mouth and tasting himself. They both moan into each other’s mouths, before breaking away. 

Harry is staring at Louis with such adoration, he wipes some of the come off his face with his thumb and sucks if off with his mouth. 

“Look at you. So beautiful. So good for me,” Harry marvels, going back in to kiss Louis on the lips.

Harry’s hand comes to wrap around Louis’ dick, which Louis had completely forgotten about. He’d been too focused on wanting to please Harry, he had neglected his own cock. It only takes a few tugs before he’s trembling in Harry’s arms, his orgasm catching him off guard. Harry has his arms wrapped around him, and he kisses him.

“So good. So, so good, my love,” Harry whispers into Louis’ ear. Louis can’t help but smile, knowing he did a good job pleasing Harry.

Louis is in a haze after that. Harry helps him get to his bedroom, wrapping him up in his arms and cuddling him. He doesn’t realize he has fallen asleep until his bladder wakes him up. Harry is still wrapped in his arms and Louis feels guilty for having to move him, but he’s really got to take a wee. Louis wriggles himself out of Harry’s arms and tiptoes over to his en suite.

When he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he has reddened cheeks, his hair is sticking out in all sorts of ways, but he looks relaxed, happy. Louis smiles and washes his hands before going back to his room. Harry is blinking his eyes awake when he returns.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Louis tells him apologetically. He climbs back on the bed, facing Harry who is stretching his arms and yawning.

“It’s alright. What time is it?” 

Louis looks over at his alarm clock. “Almost 9.”

“Shit. I should get going, it’s getting late.” Harry jumps out of bed. Louis’ heart twinges at that. He doesn’t want Harry to leave and, for a split second, he considers asking Harry to stay the night. But then he thinks back to their arrangement and decides it’s better he doesn’t.

He follows Harry out to the living room where their clothes still lay on the floor and collects his own, throwing them back on.

“Thank you. For, you know... doing that,” Louis feels the need to tell him.

Harry looks up from where he was putting his boots on. “Did it make you feel better?”

“It feels so much better than smoking, that’s for sure,” Louis says. They both giggle.

Harry stands up. “Well, if you ever need me to do that again, just say the word. I’d be more than happy to, if that’s what you need.”

Louis’ cheeks flush and he looks down at his feet. “Thanks.” He tilts his head up and places a kiss on Harry’s lips. 

Harry smiles. “Goodnight, Louis.”

“Goodnight, Haz.”

The way Louis’ stomach sinks as he watches Harry walk away is an unwelcome feeling, one that Louis immediately pushes aside.

 

**XXX**

 

Everything revolving the album release for Harry is a whirlwind. He’s in a different city every day, promoting, performing, and meeting fans. It’s overwhelming but in the best way because to Harry, there’s nothing better than performing and getting to meet his fans. It helps that Louis is a part of the team that travels with him this time around. It doesn’t get to be too much this time because there’s a comfort in knowing that Louis is there in case things get overwhelming. 

They’re in New York again, this time Harry is going to perform on Good Morning America in the morning and has an appearance scheduled on TRL in the afternoon. They’ve just landed and checked into their hotel rooms and have a little bit of down time before they have an early dinner so Harry can go to sleep due to the extra early morning call.

As much as Harry tries to get Louis to come over to his room that night, Louis turns him down based on the fact that they both have to be up at 4 a.m. the next day, which, yeah, he guesses Louis has a point. It doesn’t stop Harry from pouting when he reads Louis’ text message, though.

Waking up before the sun is even out sucks because who actually likes waking up this early? Harry throws on some simple jeans and a sweatshirt for sound check. There are fans outside already, though, to be fair, Shawn Mendes is also performing today so he’s sure a lot of fans are here to see him as well. After soundcheck, Harry meets up with Pete and Kera to get his hair and clothes. 

Everything goes exceedingly well. Harry does a short interview where he gets asked basic questions about his music and the album. He performs a few songs, inviting a male fan on stage to dance with him during Kiwi and the fans love it. Some fans already know the words by heart even though the album has only been out for a few days. TRL is just as good. His music video is the number one requested video which was amazing to hear. By the time he’s done with his obligations for the day, Harry feels absolutely knackered.

Harry and Liam return to the hotel and when Harry gets to his room, he throws on his most comfortable sweats before he falls face first onto his bed, welcoming the comfort of it. Harry wakes up about an hour later to the sound of his phone.

“Hello?” He rasps into the phone.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Louis’ voice filters through the receiver.

Harry sits up, clearing his throat. “Yeah. It’s okay, though. My alarm was about to go off anyway,” he lies. “What’s up?”

“I was just gonna see what you were free this evening. Thinking maybe we can hang out, if you don’t have any plans?” Louis asks.

Harry hums, taking his time to answer so he doesn’t seem so eager, even though he made sure to not plan anything tonight knowing he would most likely be spending it with Louis.

“I would love to hang out, actually. Just came to take a short nap because I was exhausted,” Harry tells him.

“Aww, poor baby,” they both giggle. “So, do you want to come over?”

Harry checks the time. “Yeah, just give me a few minutes and I’ll be there.”

When he hangs up, Harry rushes to take his clothes off and hops in the shower. He’d been so tired when he got back he didn’t bother to wash the day off of him. He forgoes washing his hair but makes sure to really clean his entire body. A rush of excitement courses through his veins, wondering what could be in store for him tonight. That’s the thing about having an arrangement with Louis, he always keeps things interesting and unpredictable.

After Harry’s ready, he turns off his light and locks the door behind him. Louis’ room is on the floor above Harry’s so he takes the lift. Somehow, the memory from that night just a few months ago after the Christmas showcase comes back into Harry’s mind. The anticipation as they rode the lift together to Louis’ room. Harry’s body shivers at the memory and thinking about how far they’ve come now. It’s been one hell of a ride.

Harry knocks on Louis’ door and it opens just a few seconds later. He’s greeted by a smiling Louis who’s so soft and just perfect in his jeans and sweater that’s almost too big for him. Harry just wants to lay in bed and cuddle with him.

Louis leans up to kiss Harry on the lips, making him close his eyes on instinct. No matter how many times they’ve kissed, Louis’ lips will always make Harry’s body tingle in the most delicious way. It’s like Louis’ kiss is a drug, once he gets one it’s never enough.

“Are you hungry? Should I order us some dinner?” Louis asks as he closes the door behind him. 

Harry walks towards the bedroom, sitting on the foot of the bed and clasping his hands together on his lap. “Mmm, not really. I could wait a little longer.”

Louis nods curtly, sitting right next to Harry on the bed, placing his hand on Harry’s thigh. “What would you like to do then?”

Harry shrugs. “Would it be okay if we cuddle for a bit?” He feels sort of silly asking for it, but with the long day he’s had, he just really wants to be wrapped in Louis’ arms.

“Of course, love. Come on.” Louis moves over and pats the bed. Harry takes off his shoes and climbs on top of it, settling himself on the right side of the bed. Louis comes behind him and wraps his arm around his torso, rubbing his hand up and down his belly. “How was your day?”

Harry lets out a deep sigh. “Long.”

Louis hums. His hands make their way up to Harry’s arms, back down to his waist then his leg, before coming back up. The gentle sensation of Louis stroking Harry’s skin makes him close his eyes, basking in the feeling of Louis’ hands on him. At one point Harry ends up on his belly, shirtless with Louis’ hands still stroking his back and shoulders, eliciting soft moans from Harry’s mouth.

Harry turns his head to the side to face Louis, his eyes have trouble staying open and he probably has the most blissful smile on his face but he doesn’t even care.

Louis stares at him and mirrors his smile. “What?”

Harry bites his lip and shakes his head, burying his face into the pillow, too embarrassed by his own thoughts. “Nothing,” his voice is muffled by the pillow underneath him.

Louis pulls his hand away and Harry wants to pout. “Come on, tell me.” Louis nudges at him, making Harry face him again.

Harry blows a puff of air out, making some of the hair that was in his face blow away. “I was just thinking…” His face flushes again but this time he continues. “Remember when we bought stuff?”

Louis’ eyes drift away for a moment to think about what Harry is referring to before recognition covers his features. “Yeah. What about it?”

Harry bites his lip again and this time Louis’ thumb comes to gently pull it away.

“Remember that paddle we bought?” Harry asks, his cheeks no doubt are crimson because that’s the effect Louis’ gaze always has on him.

A smirk plays on Louis’ lips. “Yes…”

“Are you really going to make me say it?” Harry doesn’t mean to sound petulant but he hates having to ask for stuff. But he also knows Louis wants to have clear communication with him.

“You know I am.”

Harry huffs. “Fine. Well, I’ve never tried it before but always wanted to. I want to do it... with you.”

A wave of silence settles between them and Louis’ hand comes up to stroke Harry’s face. 

“Are you sure about this?” His eyes are staring at Harry with such sincerity, Harry has never wanted anything more in his life.

“Yes. I am. I want it, so much, Louis,” Harry assures him.

The smile comes back to Louis’ face, the kind of smile that makes his eyes crinkle on the edges and his eyelashes fan out so delicately. Harry has trouble looking away.

“Alright.” Louis kisses Harry on top of his head before getting up.

“What are you doing?” Harry asks, seeing Louis rustle through his suitcase.

Louis looks over his shoulder. “Getting the paddle. I brought it with me just in case.”

Harry laughs. “Were you planning for this to happen?”

“No. I’ve been carrying it around since it arrived almost a month ago.” Louis shrugs. “You just never know when it might come in handy. Good thing I did, eh?” Louis pulls the paddle out and slaps it against his palm for emphasis.

Harry groans and buries his face in his hands again. “Oh, God.”

Harry feels the bed dip next to him and he finds Louis gazing at him. “Hey, if you’re not ready for this tonight we don’t have to do it. I just wanted you to know it was an option but we can wait as long as you need.”

Harry’s stomach swoops with a feeling he can’t quite describe, but in this moment, with the way that Louis is scrutinizing him, he’s realizing how much he really cares for this man. He finds himself having to look elsewhere, too afraid that Louis will be able to read his thoughts.

“I’m ready. I want to do it now,” Harry tells him. He stands up and takes off the rest of his clothes before climbing back on the bed face down, arse up, looking over his shoulder at Louis.

“Spank me, Daddy,” Harry taunts, biting his lip.

Louis laughs, tapping Harry’s bum with the paddle. “Very funny. Now seriously. Before we start, it’s important that you really use the color system, okay? I’ll be checking in with you more often than I usually do because you’ve never done this before and I want to make sure it doesn’t get to be too much for you.”

Louis is completely serious and Harry knows he is taking this seriously, which reassures him that he has chosen the right person to do this with.

Harry nods. “Okay.”

“Do you want to lay on the bed how you are now or would you like to be on my lap?” Louis asks.

Harry sits up on his knees on the bed. “I want to be on your lap.”

Louis takes off his clothes, stripping down completely, before climbing onto the bed, moving the pillows around and sitting against the middle of the head board. 

He pats his lap. “Come here, baby.”

Harry crawls over to Louis and he settles himself across his lap. He takes a pillow to rest between his arms, and his cock is nestled comfortably beneath him. Louis caresses Harry’s arse cheeks with one hand, warming him up and getting Harry comfortable. The feeling is already making Harry want to whine, but he knows he has to be patient.

“Are you comfortable?” Louis asks.

Harry nods. “Yes.”

“What’s your color, baby?”

“Green.” Louis’ hand continues to rub against his bum, like a massage, preparing his arse for what it’s about to endure. Harry can’t wait.

“I’m going to start slow, with just my hand, okay? I’m going to do a couple of slaps on each cheek so you can get a feel for it. Then, if you want to continue, I’ll add the paddle,” Louis explains. 

“O-okay.” Harry’s body trembles after one particular caress.

The first slap catches Harry off guard because it comes without warning, hard against his right cheek and he jumps a little. But as soon as it hits him, a shock of adrenaline follows it and Harry feels his dick twitch beneath him. Louis immediately rubs the area he just slapped before he repeats the same action on the other cheek. Again, it’s like a jolt of electricity filled with pleasure and a little bit of pain. 

Harry wants more.

Louis slaps Harry’s arse a couple more times on each cheek and, this time, Harry is moaning with each hit. The pleasure is taking over the pain and making him want it harder.

“What’s your color, baby?” Louis’ voice brings Harry back.

“Green, green. Please, I need more. Can you use the paddle now?” Harry is trying his best not to grind down against Louis’ lap. He can already feel his dick starting to harden between his legs.

Louis leans down to kiss him on the cheek. “Okay, baby. I’ve got you.” 

He reaches for the paddle that is right next to him, gripping it tightly in his hand. Harry turns to face away from him, resting his head in his arms on top of the pillow, the anticipation radiating off of his body. The paddle is simple, black and made out of leather. Louis rubs it against Harry’s right arse cheek, making Harry twitch a little underneath his touch, letting him get a feel for it. It feels pretty light against him and Harry closes his eyes as it continues to make contact with his skin.

When the first strike comes, Harry’s body jerks. The pain radiates from his arse cheek to the rest of his body and a whine leaves Harry’s lips. The pain turning into pleasure and going straight to his cock. Before he can even recover from that, another one is coming to his other arse cheek. 

 

**XXX**

 

Louis takes a deep breath, needing a moment to get himself together. Harry is taking the paddle so well and it’s becoming a little overwhelming for Louis. 

Harry’s arse cheeks are a pretty shade of red. Louis has been checking in with Harry and he is doing well, asking for more. So, Louis gives him more. It gets to a point where Harry isn’t as vocal anymore, the noises that were spilling out of his mouth turn into barely audible grunts. Louis slows down, rubbing his hand on Harry’s arse.

“Baby? What’s your color?” Louis nudges Harry’s hip. Harry’s head turns over to face Louis’ direction. His eyes are glazed over, mouth parted wide and lips so pink and wet.

A small smile spreads on Harry’s face. “‘M, green.” Louis almost doesn’t hear him with how gone he sounds.

“Okay. I’m going to stop now, okay? I’m just gonna cuddle you,” Louis tells him. 

He sets the paddle aside, trying his best to move Harry around so Louis can settle next to him comfortably. Harry’s erection is full and hard so Louis jumps into action. He maneuvers Harry onto his side as Louis positions himself behind him. Louis reaches over Harry’s waist to get a hold of Harry’s dick. Harry moans weakly and Louis whispers into his ear, telling him how good he’s being for him, while he continues stroking his cock. It only takes a few more tugs before Harry’s body convulses and he’s coming into Louis’ hand.

“So good. So good for me, baby,” Louis continues to whisper in Harry’s ear. He kisses him on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

Louis makes a quick run to the bathroom to clean up and to grab some water for them to drink. As he’s reaching for a paper towel he hears Harry sobbing in the distance. Louis drops everything and runs to the bedroom.

Harry’s head is buried in the pillow and his body is shaking as he sobs into it. Louis climbs on the bed, facing Harry and moving his hair out of his face.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Louis’ heart is racing, his eyes roaming around Harry to make sure he isn’t hurt or something worse.

Harry won’t stop crying though. His body vibrates with every whimper as tears continue to trail down his cheeks. Louis takes Harry into his arms, rubbing his back comfortingly, whispering things into his ear to try to get him to calm down. Louis is finding it so hard to keep his own resolve from crumbling watching while Harry seems so devastated. He feels helpless and he hates it so much. He continues to plant soft kisses on Harry’s skin and telling him how amazing and good he is, hoping it does something to help.

Harry begins to calm down and Louis lets out a relieved breath. He doesn’t stop touching Harry though because it seems to be helping him. He runs his fingers through Harry’s curls, some are wet from the tears. He moves some strands behind Harry’s ear. His cheeks are blotchy and rosy, his eyes shiny. Harry’s eyes still appear to be glazed over, even with the tears.

Louis pulls away to get a better look at him and Harry whimpers.

“Don’t leave me again, please,” Harry begs, pulling Louis closer.

Louis tightens his arms. “I would never leave you, baby. Never.”

Harry sniffles, burying his head into Louis’ chest. Louis tightens his hold on him and kisses him on his head. Louis is no expert when it comes to these things and he’s never been with a sub who has cried like this after a scene. Louis wonders if him stepping out for a moment had anything to do with Harry being so upset. Louis stays awake even after Harry falls asleep in his arms and he doesn’t let him go either. He doesn’t want to risk Harry crying again; Louis never wants to be the cause of Harry’s tears. That was one of the most painful things he’s had to witness and even worse is not knowing what the cause is. 

Harry stirs in Louis’ arms about an hour later, blinking his swollen red eyes, and tilting his head to face Louis. Harry’s eyes look away immediately and Louis tries not to be hurt by it. 

“I’m sorry... about earlier,” Harry begins. He doesn’t pull away from Louis’ arms which he takes as a good sign.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m the one that should be sorry, though, I’m not exactly sure what I did,” Louis says. His stomach is twisting in knots, he feels so unsettled, unsure of where to go from here. Will Harry want to end things after this? Was it too much for Harry to handle and now he wants nothing to do with Louis? Just the thought of that is making Louis sick with worry.

Harry is silent for a while until he finally speaks up. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just…” Harry seems lost in thought, trying to formulate his words. “I was just so overwhelmed and I was in subspace but I couldn’t really vocalize anything. Like when you said you’d be right back, I heard you... and I wanted to tell you not to go, that I wanted you to stay with me and hold me... but nothing came out. And then you left and I was just so upset. I mean, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be upset but I’ve never experienced this kind of feeling. Like my emotions were heightened in such a way that I just started sobbing because there was no other way to express how I was feeling.”

Louis holds Harry closer and leans down to kiss him on the lips. His throat is tight and he clears it. “I’m so sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have left, I should have just stayed and taken care of you.” Now Louis is the one feeling emotional but he feels like he’s failed Harry. Louis should have been able to take care of Harry better and gauge his reaction instead of worrying about cleaning up.

Harry shakes his head. “No, please don’t feel bad, Louis. I promise it’s nothing you did. I think it’s good that we’re talking about it now but don’t feel like you let me down or anything. You have been amazing. You  _ are _ amazing. The best. Please don’t think otherwise,” he pleads.

“Still... I should have known better, I…” before Louis can finish, Harry’s lips are on his. It sucks the air out of him, Harry’s hands are on his face and he’s licking into his mouth, tasting, and it makes Louis forget what he was even going to say. 

When Harry pulls away, his eyes are glued on Louis. “Louis, I…” his eyes widen and he blinks, letting out a breath. “I’ve never been taken care of as well as you have taken care of me.”

Louis’ face heats up, he can feel the flush on his cheeks. He leans in to kiss Harry again. “I love taking care of you,” he says, pulling back and rubbing his nose against Harry’s, making him giggle.

And it’s in that moment, staring into Harry’s emerald eyes, sharing this special moment with him, having him enveloped in his arms, that Louis realizes he might be in love with Harry Styles.

 

**XXX**

 

“Okay, folks, that’s a wrap!” Ernesto calls out after taking a final shot of Harry. He’s got hair extensions that make his hair reach down to his shoulders, a long jacket with a bare chest and some type of high fashion trousers. There’s a black leather collar around Harry’s neck that has become his favorite item of the day.

When the stylist placed the leather choker around his neck, Harry felt himself become more at ease. He felt his subby side come out, making the entire photoshoot a pleasant experience for him.

They’d been going at it all day, taking photographs with all sorts of high fashion garments. Harry feels like his hair has been styled twenty different ways and he has loved every minute of it. 

The magazine is doing a feature on new artists to watch out for and they’d asked Harry to be a part of it. He’s a bit sad it’s over because he’s had such a good time. 

“You ready to head out?” Liam calls. 

Harry shakes his head. “I’ve gotta go change. Why don’t you go on without me. I’ve got plans after this anyway,” he tells him. It’s been almost two weeks since he’s seen Louis and Harry’s been looking forward to tonight all day.

Liam shrugs. “Alright, then. Call me if you need anything. I’ll probably be staying at Zayn’s tonight so don’t wait up.”

Harry chuckles to himself because he thinks Liam should just move in with Zayn by now. Harry can’t remember the last time Liam spent a full night at their apartment. He’s grateful that he doesn’t have to worry about any probing questions Liam might have for him when he stays out late at Louis’. Harry would rather not have to lie to his best friend and so far he hasn’t really needed to because Liam has been so caught up in his own little world with Zayn he hasn’t paid much attention to what Harry’s been up to outside of work things.

Harry makes his way to the dressing room with one of the stylists from the shoot who helps him get out of the clothes. He throws his own clothes on and, when he looks in the mirror, he realizes he still has the collar on his neck. Harry stares at it longingly, running his fingers over it before he reaches behind his neck to undo it. When it’s off, he eyes it one last time. He wonders if he should get one of his own, or maybe he could talk to Louis about getting one. 

Just having it on, even just for a photoshoot, made Harry’s imagination wander. It made him pretend what it would feel like to have Louis place the collar around his neck, claiming Harry as his. Just the thought of that alone makes Harry shiver.

“Do you want it?” Harry jumps at the sound of the stylist’s voice. He feels his cheeks pinken up, having been caught staring at the leather strap.

“What?”

The stylist nods towards the collar still clutched in Harry’s hand, smiling knowingly. “Do you want it? You can keep it, if you want.”

“Yeah?” Harry feels the need to ask, to make sure.

The stylist chuckles. “Of course. You’re Harry Styles, one of the new artists to look out for. I’m sure you’d be giving the brand lots of publicity with it. Just make sure you’re pictured with it on.”

Harry laughs. “Thanks, mate. It was nice working with you,” he extends his hand and bids him farewell.

Harry’s body is buzzing.

Promo for the album has been over for a while now and soon they’re getting ready to release Harry’s second single, which the label decided was going to be ‘Kiwi’. Harry is excited to film the music video in a couple of weeks and get things started on that. But in the meantime, he’s had a bit of down time, finalizing things for the tour that will begin in the fall. Louis has been traveling a lot, which has made Harry miss him like crazy, so he’s really looking forward to seeing him even more.

When Harry arrives at Louis’ house, he answers the door but he’s on a call so Louis excuses himself, letting Harry know to make himself at home. Harry goes into the bedroom with the bag he’s brought with him strapped on his shoulder. He opens it and digs through it before finding what he’s searching for. He still has his hair extensions and he loosens the hair tie that was holding his hair up, running his fingers through the long strands. Harry looks at himself in the mirror one last time before he finally gains the courage to walk out of the room to find Louis.

Harry can hear Louis’ voice in his home office, so he passes by deciding to go to the kitchen to grab something to drink. He can feel his heart rate increase the longer he’s waiting for Louis to emerge but he continues to act nonchalant. He opens the fridge and grabs a beer, twisting the cap open and taking a swig of it, leaning against the counter and waiting. The alcohol helps calm his nerves a little bit. 

Harry can hear Louis calling for him, probably searching for him in the bedroom. “I’m in the kitchen,” he calls out, taking a deep breath. There’s no turning back now, no chance to change his mind at the last second and go change. Louis is about to see him, and what he’s wearing.

Louis walks into the kitchen looking down at his phone. “Sorry about that, Niall wanted…” As Louis’ gaze comes up to Harry, he freezes. Louis’ eyes nearly bulge out of his head as he takes Harry in. Harry can see Louis swallow hard, his throat bobbing as he does. “Harry…” Louis comes closer, one step at a time, as if unsure if he’s allowed.

Harry meets him halfway, making sure to sway his hips from side. When he gets within arm’s reach, he does a little twirl, making sure to pop his bum out for good measure. “Do you like it?”

Louis’ eyes roam all over Harry’s body, from his head all the way down to his legs. “I fucking love it, come here.” He shakes his head in wonder, reaching a hand out to Harry.

Harry takes it and Louis pulls him closer. “You’re gorgeous,” Louis tells him before planting a kiss on his lips. The kiss is tender, soft, and way too short for Harry’s taste. He wants to pout but he doesn’t. Instead, he’s distracted by Louis’ hands roaming his body.

Harry is wearing nothing but the black leather collar and a pair of pink lace panties. He’d planned for the panties before even coming across the collar, but now Harry thinks it’s a perfect match, if the look on Louis’ face is anything to go by. Louis’ hands come down to Harry’s waist and he runs his fingers over his lace covered bum.

“So pretty, so gorgeous,” Louis tells him kissing him again and again. Harry feels himself getting hot at all the attention and praise, his cock already half hard and trapped in the lacey underwear.

Louis’ hands touch Harry’s hair. “I love your hair. It’s so pretty. My pretty princess,” he says. He kisses Harry again, this time more hungry, more needy, pinning Harry to the counter. Louis’ own erection rubs against Harry’s thigh. “Fuck. You’re so good for me, love,” Louis whispers when he takes a moment for them to catch their breath. “Come on.”

Louis pulls away, taking Harry with him. Harry’s body trembles, just like it did the first night they met when Louis pulled him into the private room, about to turn Harry’s world upside down. Harry feels like the more time he spends with Louis the harder he’s falling for him and there’s nothing he can really do about it. So he lets himself fall, not knowing who is going to be at the bottom to catch him.

“On your hands and knees on the bed,” Louis orders when they get to the bedroom. 

Harry doesn’t hesitate to follow instructions. He climbs on top of the bed, spreading his legs, sticking his lace-covered arse up for Louis, and waits. He can hear Louis ruffling through things but Harry doesn’t bother to look. He prefers to be surprised, anyway.

He doesn’t realize he has his eyes closed until he feels the bed dip with Louis’ weight. His hand comes up to move Harry’s hair off of his neck. When Louis touches the leather collar, Harry feels goosebumps forming on his skin.

“What’s this, baby? Another present for me?” Louis asks.

Harry nods. “Yes.”

Louis’ hand moves around his neck, pulling Harry back to him so that he’s sitting on Louis’ lap. “Is this to show people who you belong to?”

As soon as the words leave Louis’ mouth, Harry whines. “Yes, Daddy. Want everyone to know I’m yours.”

Louis’ grip on Harry’s neck tightens a little, leaning over to talk into Harry’s ear. “Let me show you you’re mine.” The words make Harry’s body buzz in anticipation.

Harry goes back to his original position on the bed as Louis begins to leave a trail of feathery kisses down his back until he gets to the dip of his spine. Louis roams his hands over Harry’s arse cheeks, leaving the lace panties in place. Harry looks over his shoulder desperately, already hard as fuck, tempted to grind down on the mattress, but he knows better than that. The last thing he wants to do right now is disappoint Louis. So he observes, waiting for Louis’ next move. Louis is staring at Harry’s bum in wonder, like it’s one of the most amazing things he’s ever seen. Finally, he spreads Harry’s cheeks with the panties still on and licks a stripe over the fabric and Harry’s hole. It feels so good, but not enough, and Harry whines. Louis’ eyes meet Harry’s for a brief moment before he goes back in, doing the same thing. This time, his tongue goes in deeper. 

Louis’ tongue is heavenly and one of the best things that has ever made contact with Harry’s body. But Louis’ tongue on his arse, with the lace panties biting into his skin, is a whole new level of pleasure that Harry has never experienced before. When Harry first thought about wearing the panties, he thought they’d be off of him the second that Louis saw him but it seems like Louis has other plans. It seems that the panties do get a little in the way of what Louis is trying to accomplish, so he moves them to the side before going all in. Louis’ tongue breaches Harry’s hole and Harry just wants to die with how good it feels.

“Fuck!” Harry tries his best to be good and sit still but Louis is making it almost impossible for him. Louis is licking him out like a starved man and Harry’s arse is the last meal on earth. Every flick of his tongue, every slurp of his mouth, brings Harry closer and closer to the edge. 

Louis comes up for air, staring at Harry as he licks his lips obscenely and says, “You can come whenever you want, okay?” before going right back in.

Harry buries his head into the pillow, trying his best not to push his arse against Louis’ face and letting him do his thing. When Harry feels one of Louis’ fingers begin to probe into him and join his tongue, that’s when he completely loses it. Louis’ finger is barely in when Harry shakes, coming with a shout. Harry wants to let himself fall on the bed but Louis holds onto his hips, not letting him.

“No... I’m not done with you yet,” Louis says. He places a couple of kisses on Harry’s bum before he nudges him. “Turn over on your back.”

Harry rolls over, lying face up. Louis brings his fingers to the waistband of his panties, already feeling sticky from the come on Harry’s skin. Harry helps him remove them by weakly lifting his hips up. Louis rolls them up in his hand and brings them up right in front of Harry’s mouth.

“Color?” 

“Green,” Harry says. A spark shoots through his spine as he opens his mouth wide and Louis places the panties inside. Harry can taste the saltiness of his own come and it makes Harry roll his eyes in absolute bliss. 

Louis kisses him on the forehead, then his cheek, then down to his chest. He takes a nipple into his mouth, licking and sucking until he bites down on it while he pinches the other one. Harry groans but it doesn’t come out very loud as the panties do its job at muffling any noises he makes. Louis continues down his path, kissing down Harry’s torso, running his tongue along Harry’s butterfly tattoo and belly button. Harry feels like his skin is on fire everywhere that Louis touches. He’s still really sensitive from his orgasm but Louis’ lips and tongue on him feel too good to even try to deny. 

Louis’ hand wraps around Harry’s still sensitive dick and he begins to stroke it slowly. His hooded eyes shoot up to meet Harry’s. “Do you think you can come for me again?”

Harry breathes through his nose, closing his eyes and taking everything in. Louis’ hand on his cock, the come stained panties in his mouth, the spit dripping down the corners of his mouth. Everything is just so much and Harry needs a moment to gather himself before he becomes too overwhelmed.

Harry opens his eyes and nods. Louis smiles before moving down and settling himself between Harry’s thighs. He spreads Harry’s legs open, making Harry plant his feet on the bed. As Louis continues to stroke Harry slowly, almost too slow, his lips come down to his inner thighs. Louis kisses on the sensitive skin there, licking and biting, sure to leave a mark, making Harry harden at just the thought of having Louis’ bite marks imprinted on his thighs. 

“You like that, baby?” Louis asks, seeming to notice. Harry nods vigorously and Louis resumes what he was doing. He leaves the same marks on Harry’s other thigh and by the time he’s done, Harry is trembling and hard between his legs again. Louis looks down at his dick and smiles. “Good boy. Now let me have a taste of that gorgeous cock of yours.”

Without another word, Louis leans in to take Harry into his mouth. He suckles at the head, swirling his tongue so maddingly slow, taking his time. Harry wants to scream but he can’t. Louis goes in deeper and deeper until Harry can feel the head of his cock touching the back of Louis’ throat. It’s overwhelming in the best way. Louis stays that way for a moment before he goes even deeper, gagging a little on Harry’s dick, sending chills throughout Harry’s body. Louis pulls away a little, using his hand while he continues sucking and licking. This isn’t the first blow job he has gotten from Louis but it’s definitely one of the best because it doesn’t take much longer before Harry feels his orgasm building. His hips thrust weakly once before he freezes, quivering while he finally gets his release. Louis sucks him through it before pulling away completely and reaches to take the panties out of Harry’s mouth.

Harry feels useless. He’s a panting mess, a sheen of sweat is covering his entire body, and he closes his eyes to get his breathing and heart rate back to normal. Louis crawls up to cover Harry’s lips with his own and Harry can taste himself on Louis’ lips. He moans when Louis licks into his mouth.

Harry has trouble opening his eyes when Louis pulls back, kissing him on the tip of the nose. His eyelids feel so heavy, all he wants to do is take a nap cuddled in Louis’ arms. Louis kisses him again on the lips.

“Do you think you have one more left in you, baby?” Louis’ voice sounds a little muffled in Harry’s ears. Harry blinks slowly, staring at Louis.

Harry nods weakly. “I think I can,” he says, even though he really isn’t sure if he can but he knows he’ll try his best.

Louis smiles, planting another kiss on Harry’s lips. “That’s my boy,” he praises. “Is it okay if we forego the condoms tonight?”

That question brings Harry back to earth from his little haze. They have both gotten tested, passing with flying colors, but they haven’t actually gone bare yet. Now that Louis is actually asking him for it, Harry is nodding, maybe a little too desperate for it.

“Yes. I want to feel you,” Harry says.

Harry thinks he sees a slight blush dusting on Louis’ cheeks but he doesn’t have enough time to really look before Louis steps away. Louis returns with lube and something else Harry can’t quite make out but he doesn’t bother worrying. Instead, he takes a deep breath to prepare himself for what’s about to happen.

Louis grabs the lube, coating his fingers generously and works on opening Harry up. When Louis is three fingers in, Harry is hard and desperate for Louis to be inside of him.

“On your hands and knees again, baby,” Louis tells him. 

Harry rolls over, getting on his hands and knees as told, willing desperately for Louis to hurry up. 

Louis lubes himself up before nudging into Harry’s hole. When he finally pushes in, Harry gasps, the feeling is so much, he closes his eyes and bites his lip to keep himself from screaming in ultimate bliss. Louis grabs a hold of Harry’s hip, pushing slowly until he’s all the way in. They remain still for a moment, before Harry groans.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Louis says, before he starts thrusting into him. The movements are deep and slow at first, it makes Harry mad with need because he wants it faster and harder. But that pace doesn’t keep very long before Louis is snapping his hips into Harry. The noises they make together are obscene, a mixture of skin slapping against skin and moans coming out of both of them. Having Louis inside of him without a barrier, just skin on skin, is overwhelming. Harry clenches around Louis’ dick and Louis shouts. His hand moves from Harry’s hip up to his neck. As soon as Harry feels Louis’ fingers on his collar he moans.

“Please,” Harry begs. 

Louis tugs on the collar, making the leather tighten around Harry’s neck, bringing with it a rush of pleasure that flows throughout his entire body.

“Fuck, yes!” Harry finds himself yelling. Before he knows it, he’s flat on the bed, with Louis on top of him, slamming into him in a punishing rhythm. 

“Are you ready for my come?” Louis asks into Harry’s ear.

“Yes, please. Give it to me. I want it,” Harry begs. His prostate is being constantly hit with every thrust from Louis at this angle. It’s not going to be much longer before Harry finds his own release.

“Okay. I need you to come for me one more time and then I’ll give it to you,” Louis tells him. 

Harry whines and after one particular hard thrust, he’s is coming onto the mattress. The way that Louis pulls on his hair has Harry moaning before he feels the heat of Louis’ come spilling inside of him. Louis drops on top of Harry, shaking through his own orgasm and breathing into Harry’s neck.

“You’re amazing,” Louis pants, planting a kiss on Harry’s shoulder. “So good, so amazing.”

They wait a few moments before Louis takes a deep breath. “I’m gonna pull out but I need you to stay still, okay?”

Harry nods weakly, feeling a little fuzzy and confused. When Louis slowly pulls out, he reaches over to the nightstand and grabs a black plug.

“Going to put his inside you.” Louis twirls the plug in his hand for Harry to see. “Color?”

Harry bites his lip. Just thinking about having Louis’ come inside of him, for however long Louis wants him to... it brings a burst of energy through him. “Green,” he can’t say soon enough. Louis plants a soft kiss on his lips and smiles.

Harry’s head feels a bit swimmy but he feels great. Louis inserts the plug, kissing his bum in the process before climbing back on the bed and taking Harry into his arms.

Being wrapped in Louis’ arms, being taken care of and being claimed by Louis makes Harry’s heart soar like never before. It makes Harry think that he may already be in way too deep and in love with Louis Tomlinson.


	8. This Thing Upon Me, Howls Like a Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: Woman by Harry Styles

Louis’ day starts off shitty and it only seems to get worse from there. Not only does his alarm fail in the morning, the barista gets his coffee order wrong, and then, because he’s already running an hour late, he gets stuck in the terrible Los Angeles traffic. 

When he gets to the conference room, he’s met with a table full of displeased looks. Though, Louis wonders if the board ever looked happy to see him.

“Sorry I’m late,” Louis apologizes and takes a seat in the only empty chair left. Niall is already there, shooting Louis worried glances.

Robert glances at him, unimpressed. “Let’s get this meeting started. We called you in because we have a few things to discuss.”

Louis doesn’t have a good premonition about this as soon as Robert starts talking. This meeting seems a bit out of their ordinary quarterly meetings, and it was called upon rather out of the blue. As soon as Louis received the e-mail he knew it wasn’t going to be good. 

Robert continues. “We are working on partnering up with Sunrise Studios. With Harry’s success on the charts and the fact that they’re using one of Harry’s songs for one of their movies, we thought it would be a good idea to take it a step further, to benefit the both entities.” 

Robert smirks in a grinch type of way that leaves an unsettling feeling at the pit of Louis’ stomach. 

“And what’s that?” Louis is hesitant to ask but he needs to know. He needs to just rip the sticking plaster off, even though he’s pretty sure he isn’t going to like what it is.

Robert leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. “We think it would be a good plan to have Harry enter into a mutually beneficial agreement with the lead actress of Sunrise’s latest film. With her popularity and Harry’s rising fame, we think it would be perfect.”

Louis wracks his brain trying to think of who the actress could be but he’s been so busy launching Harry’s career he hasn’t even been keeping up with the latest entertainment chatter. “Who’s the actress?”

“Layla Blake. It wouldn’t be her first rodeo so I’m sure she can show Harry the ropes. She’s hot and so is Harry so I think it’s a match made in industry heaven, don’t you think?” The way Robert’s eyebrow quirks at Louis makes him nauseous.

“I don’t understand why there would be a need for them to be in a ‘relationship’ though. Can’t they just mutually promote each other on twitter or something? Wouldn’t that be enough?” Louis knows he’s grasping at straws because Robert and the board already seem pretty set on the decision.

“That’s good, yes, but not enough to leave an impact. We think having them get photographed together and starting a buzz about them on social media is a better option. Besides, with the recent rumors Harry has started by inviting men to practically hump on stage with him during those performances he’s done on live television, I think it’s been long overdue for us to kill those rumors and start new ones. Especially with tickets for Harry’s tour going on sale in just a couple of weeks.” 

Louis doesn’t miss the look of disgust Robert gets when talking about Harry with men on stage. Louis tries his best not to roll his eyes. Being reminded of how homophobic the music industry still is in this day and age breaks Louis’ heart. Not being able to do anything about it hurts him even more. He feels all the fight drain out of him, deciding it’s best to just leave it, knowing it’s useless. Louis wouldn’t be surprised if the paperwork is already drawn up and this meeting is just a formality to inform Louis about it.

“Set up the meeting with Harry and his manager. We want to get these contracts signed as soon as possible,” Robert interrupts Louis’ thoughts by confirming his suspicions.

Louis leaves the room as soon as the meeting is dismissed, not even bothering to wait for Niall. His emotions are all over the place right now and he hates it. He hates Robert, and the board, and how unfair and cruel the industry can be. Louis knows this, he does, but it doesn’t stop it from being maddening. And yes, this time Louis feels like he’s got more skin in the game because of his feelings for Harry, but even so. Tears threaten to spill from his eyes but he doesn’t let them. He’s in his car and out of the parking lot in just seconds. He needs to get out and get some air. He needs to cool down and get his emotions in order before he even touches a phone to set up that meeting with Harry.

-

Louis ends up at the beach. The weather is nice, but not warm enough to be in the water, and there are a few people jogging behind him somewhere. He finds a secluded spot to settle himself into, facing the water and pulling a cigarette out from his pack. He hates himself a little bit every time he resorts to smoking but it’s one of the only things these days that help him feel sane. That and being with Harry but he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for the latter right now.

The sound of the waves is calming and they’re mesmerizing to watch as the sun shines above them. Louis doesn’t really come to the beach much but with the way he’s feeling his body relax and his breathing calm, he thinks he should do it more often. His mind wanders to thoughts of Mexico, getting to be like this, with a lot less stress than what he’s dealing with now. He still remembers getting to see the sunset with Harry, the way his dimple poked out as they got to witness how beautiful the scenery looked. Though, Louis will admit he was staring at Harry more than he was at the sunset.

He pushes his thoughts of Harry aside because that’s the whole reason why he’s here in the first place. Louis doesn’t think he’d be having this hard of a time if he didn’t have feelings for Harry. At least he doesn’t think so. There have been times in the past where they’ve had artists that have been in PR relationships, a few of them that weren’t straight, and Louis doesn’t remember reacting this emotionally to it. He hates it, he hates that the entertainment industry is this way, and has been for as long as he’s known, but it still sucks. 

Louis finally lets a tear escape and he wipes it away instantly. Things weren’t supposed to end up this way. Louis was supposed to keep his distance from Harry and, instead, he gave in to his physical desires. He wasn’t supposed to get feelings, he wasn’t supposed to fall in love. Louis should have known when things with Harry were intense from the start. Since the first moment he laid eyes on him, he knew there was something different about him. Something that wouldn’t let Louis stand a chance. He was a goner from the very beginning.

Louis stubs out his cigarette and lights another. He inhales the smoke and lets it burn, lets it settle in his lungs before he exhales. 

Harry Styles was only supposed to be something to get out of Louis’ system. Nothing more. But he was so, so wrong. Because he turned out to be so much more. More than Louis could have ever imagined. 

When he finishes his cigarette, Louis pulls out his phone to check the time. It’s close to noon, so he unlocks it and opens his contacts, hitting the button when he finds the one he’s looking for and presses the phone to his ear.

The line rings a few times before Liam answers.

“Hey Liam, it’s Louis. We need you and Harry to come to the label for a meeting this afternoon.”

 

**XXX**

 

As soon as Harry walks into Louis’ office he can feel something is off. He can’t put his finger on it, but he can sense it in the air. 

Louis is at his desk doing something on the computer and when he sees Harry and Liam come in, he turns to give them his full attention. Harry is a little thrown off that they’re meeting in Louis’ office because normally they have their meetings in the conference room with Niall and Lauren usually taking notes or something. This time it’s just Louis with no sight of the other two anywhere.

“Hey, have a seat,” Louis tells him, no greeting or anything. Usually, Harry gets a smirk or an eye crinkle, at least. Not this time.

Liam and Harry sit in the chairs provided in front of Louis’ desk. They’re comfortable, leather chairs and they squeak as soon as they sit, breaking the sort of awkward silence that has settled in the room.

Harry doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t feel like it’s a good moment for it. Louis seems serious, his lips formed in a thin line, very business-like and maybe even mad? Harry can’t quite tell. He’s seen Louis frustrated but never actually angry. This is all new territory for Harry, and for a moment he wonders if he might have done something wrong that has caused trouble with the label, but he can’t seem to think of what it could be.

Louis lets out an audible sigh, folding his hands on top of his desk, giving them a regretful look. “I had a meeting with the board this morning. The label is partnering with a film company. As part of that arrangement, they want to promote talent from both entities. The way they have decided to do that is to have you, Harry, start a PR relationship with Layla Blake. Layla is the lead actress in one of their upcoming films. She’s supposed to be very popular and influential right now in the industry. The label wants Harry to use that to boost his album sales and his popularity. They think having you two be in a ‘relationship’ is the best way to do that,” he explains.

Every word that comes out of Louis’ mouth is like a weight that continues to pile on Harry’s shoulders. Harry has heard of Layla, has seen her films, and is even a fan of them. But going from being a casual fan to having to pretend to be involved with her is completely different. Harry knows that most of the entertainment industry relationships are for PR purposes but it had never really occurred to him that he’d have to be a part of that when he decided to sign with Hanover Records. Now that he’s here, in front of Louis, hearing these words, Harry doesn’t know what to say. Does he even have a say? Because by the way Louis is talking, it doesn’t seem like he has an option to deny them.

“What do you think about this?” Harry asks before he can even think about it. He needs to know what Louis thinks. If Louis thinks it’s a good idea, Harry will find it easier to agree. But he needs to hear it from Louis first.

Louis avoids Harry’s gaze, looking down at his hands instead. “It doesn’t really matter what I think. The board has already made the decision. They have the contracts drawn up and ready for you to sign. It’s a three month agreement with options to extend if they deem it necessary.”

Harry hears the words but isn’t really processing them because Louis isn’t looking at him. The entire time Louis is telling him he’s staring down at his hands. He doesn’t sound like himself, more like a person reading off a script, and Harry doesn’t like it one bit.

Harry wants to ask Liam to leave the room for a moment so that they can talk privately but he knows he can’t because as soon as he does, Liam will question him endlessly. He feels trapped with no real way to get out, and Louis isn’t helping.

“Look Harry,” Louis begins. Harry’s head snaps up and Louis is finally looking him in the eyes. “I know this isn’t an ideal situation. I know that. But, in a situation like this, you’ve got to look at the pros. This would be good exposure for you as an artist. It will get your name out there and it might even help broaden your audience. Your song is already being featured in the film she’s in but having people think that you’re dating will boost that even more. I know this method sucks but we can’t deny that it works.”

Louis looks defeated and Harry wants to reach out and get rid of the wrinkles on his forehead. He wants to take him into his arms and just hold him, make him feel better about whatever is troubling him. But he feels like there is an invisible wall between them and Harry isn’t sure if it has been put up by Louis or by this situation. Whatever it is, Harry hopes it’s only temporary.

Harry turns to look at Liam who shrugs, seeming to agree with Louis. Harry faces Louis again.

“Alright, then. Where do I sign?”

-

Harry hasn’t heard from Louis in eight days. He feels completely pathetic every time he finds himself checking his phone for messages or missed calls but he doesn’t stop looking. He’s on the set of his music video for Kiwi and he can’t help but seek out Louis among the people on the set. 

Louis was on set last time Harry filmed the video for Sign of the Times but now he’s nowhere in sight. Instead, Harry finds Niall talking to Zayn in the background as they get ready for the next scene. 

Harry is dressed in a very expensive Gucci suit with a Golden Retriever puppy in his arms. Pete is fixing his hair, running whatever product he uses through it as they get ready for another take. The puppy whines in Harry’s arms so he nuzzles his nose into its fur.

“It’s okay, little guy. We’re almost done,” he whispers.

Once everything is ready to go, the director calls action and Harry pushes his thoughts aside and focuses on the task at hand. Everything goes really well and once the director calls it a wrap, Harry makes sure to shake everyone’s hand to thank them, including the children and their parents for letting them participate. Harry also makes sure to thank the crew cleaning up the mess their food fight left behind. He tells Liam to send them flowers with a thank you note for their hard work.

Harry excuses himself as soon as he’s able. He changes out of his clothes and into his own normal sweats, leaving the set after letting Liam know he was off. Liam, of course, informs him not to wait for him. Normally, Harry would tease him but instead he rolls his eyes behind his sunglasses because, at the moment, he has no time to deal with the love birds. Not when his own romantic life is such a mess.

Is whatever Harry and Louis have even romantic? Now Harry rolls his eyes at himself for being such a fool. Of course it isn’t. They have a mutual agreement to meet up and have sex. To fuck. They don’t go on dates or meet each other’s family. It was never like that between them. So why is Harry so hung up on Louis and frustrated that he hasn’t gotten a call or a text in over a week?

Harry has more important things to worry about. Like his upcoming world tour. He’s been excited for months but lately he hasn’t even thought about it. It doesn’t help that he has his first pap walk with Layla tomorrow. They’re supposed to be seen having lunch at The Eveleigh where they’re supposed to take pictures with fans and start the buzz about their supposed budding relationship. 

All of this would be a lot more bearable if Harry could just see Louis. They haven’t spent time alone since the night he wore the collar for the first time and Harry has been on edge all week. It feels like everything around him is happening so fast and he’s going in slow motion unable to stop it. He just needs Louis to assure him that everything is going to be okay, that  _ they’re _ going to be okay.

 

**XXX**

 

The first set of photos hits Louis like a ton of bricks. He knows that it isn’t real but it still causes a dull ache in his chest when his eyes land on the images. Having to see Harry with Layla, smiling and looking happy, enjoying their meal, taking pictures with fans... it’s a lot harder than Louis thought it would be. It makes it worse that he’s the one that has to make the final decision on what pictures get printed for everyone to see. Louis is practically getting paid to choose pictures of the man he loves acting happy and loved up with someone else, like some kind of sick joke. He makes his final decision, wanting to get it out of the way and sent out so that he doesn’t have to deal with it anymore. For now, at least. 

Louis’ phone buzzes on his desk, startling him. It’s been over a week since he last saw Harry. Louis has been keeping his distance, needing some time to himself... for what? Louis isn’t quite sure. He just knows that he hates the situation he’s in right now. He hasn’t heard from Harry either and Louis wonders if it’s because he’s busy or he senses Louis has been distant from him.

When he unlocks his phone, he sees that it’s a text from Harry and his heart stops.

Harry: Hey Louis. Miss you, you free any time before I head to London?

Louis stares at the screen reading the words over and over again. He feels bad for not reaching out to Harry but he feels it’s necessary for them to spend some time apart for a bit. He types up a few responses before deleting them until he finally settles on one.

Louis: I’m sorry, I can’t. Have a safe trip.

Harry is heading to London to do album promotion. There is also the London premiere of Layla’s movie, which Harry is required by contract to accompany her to. Thankfully, Louis isn’t needed to be there and Liam, Zayn, and his glam team are enough. 

Before he can beat himself up about turning Harry down, Niall pops into this office.

“Hey, Boss. How’s it going?” Niall’s bright and shiny demeanor sheds a little light on Louis’ dark mood.

Louis tries to smile. “I’m doing alright. About to head out for the day. You?”

Niall plops himself on a chair, crossing his leg over the other. “Same. I was actually gonna come see if you wanted to go out for a pint. Or five,” he smirks.

“That actually sounds perfect,” Louis tells him. It really does. Louis would love to wallow in a few shots of his favorite liquor. Maybe with that he can gain some clarity, gain the courage to face what he’s been avoiding.  _ Who _ he’s been avoiding.

“Great! It’s been ages since we’ve gone out.” Niall claps his hands together in excitement. He pulls his phone out and taps around on it doing God knows what. “Want to head over there together or do you want to meet me there?”

Louis checks the time. He has time to go home and change out of this suit and tie that he’d love to get out of. 

“I’ll meet you there. Just text me the address.”

-

Louis ends up at a bar he’s never heard of but it seems nice. It isn’t too crowded for a Tuesday night and when he makes it inside, he quickly finds Niall who’s already waving him over on the booth he seems to have saved for them. 

“Hey, you didn’t have to get such a big booth for just the two of us mate,” Louis tells him as he settles himself across from Niall.

Niall gives him a weird look before he seems to realize what Louis just said. “Oh, it’s not just gonna be the two of us. I figured, since they’re heading to London tomorrow, we should have a pint with them so I invited Zayn, Liam and Harry to come too,” he smiles.

Louis’ stomach drops. “You what?”

“Is there a problem with that?” Niall looks extremely confused at Louis’ reaction. 

Louis shakes himself out of it, getting his shit together to look as nonchalant as he possibly can. “Sorry, no, of course not. I just wasn’t aware there would be other people joining us. My mistake.”

As soon as he finishes talking, Niall gets distracted by someone behind him and he waves his hand. Great. Louis closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, asking for strength from whatever god exists to get through this night. He pastes on a smile and turns around. Sure enough, Zayn, Liam and Harry are walking across to them.

Harry looks a bit distracted but Louis can tell when Harry sees him because his face falls a little before he recovers and his lips form into a small smile.

“Hello, lads! Thought you’d never make it!” Niall stands up to greet them. Louis is about to move to do the same but then Harry is moving to sit on the booth next to him so instead he moves over to make room for him.

“Hi, Louis,” Harry says, folding his hands on top of the table and looking at anyone but Louis.

Louis guesses he deserves that. 

“So what’s everyone drinking?” Liam asks. Harry takes one of the cocktail menus on the table and seems to look interested in its contents.

“I’m gonna get a whiskey sour,” Louis tells the group. 

“Are you all up for a round of shots?” Niall asks excitedly.

The rest of the boys shrug in agreement and Niall waves the waitress over. Niall says something that makes the waitress giggle before she takes out her pen and pad to take their drink orders.

Everyone but Harry voices what they want and when they all turn to look at him he shuts the menu, smiling. 

“I’ll have a sex on the beach, love. Just keep them coming,” Harry says, winking at her.

The waitress nods before excusing herself to get their drinks. Louis’ mouth goes dry thinking about Harry and his cocktail, and the way he was concentrating taking pictures of it the first time he saw him. He gets so lost in his thoughts, he’s shaken out of them when the waitress returns with their drinks and round of shots Niall ordered.

Niall passes out the shots of... well, he’s not sure what they are actually.

“Niall what is this?” Louis asks, eyeing the green liquid in his shot glass.

Niall grins. “It’s called liquid marijuana. Now,” he raises his glass, “lets toast. To the label doing well, to Harry and Bebe’s successful launches. Bebe apologizes for not being here, she’s in Las Vegas doing an event but she wanted us to take a shot in her honor. Anyway, cheers!”

They all clink glasses and drink their shots. The shot is actually really good and doesn’t taste like alcohol, more like juice. Louis takes a sip of his drink to wash the sweetness down.

Things are not as awkward as Louis thought they’d be but that is mostly thanks to Niall who is able to lead a conversation and keep everyone engaged and having a good time. It’s when Louis is on his third whiskey sour and second shot of liquid marijuana that he realizes he’s drunk. 

“Excuse me, lads, I’ve got to go for a wee,” Louis tells Harry and Liam who are blocking him from getting out of the booth. Louis almost stumbles out but, by some sort of miracle, manages to not fall on his face. He walks by a few people until he’s able to find the toilets.

The restroom ends up being a single toilet so when Louis is finally able to go into it, he gets distracted by the walls filled with all sorts of chalk writing. He chuckles to himself after catching a chalk drawing of a penis and finally does his business. He washes his hands and looks in the mirror. His hair is a bit frazzled so he runs his fingers through it until he’s satisfied with how it looks.

When Louis finally makes it out of the toilet, he doesn’t expect to find Harry leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. 

“Hey,” Louis says. “Toilet’s all yours.” He holds the door open for him but Harry doesn’t move.

Harry shakes his head. “I don’t need to use the loo.”

Louis lets go of the door and it shuts rather loudly behind him. “You don’t?”

“No. I wanted to talk to you, alone,” Harry states, his face showing no hint of a smile.

Louis checks his pockets and, thankfully, he’s carrying his cigarettes with him. “Okay. Mind if we go out while I smoke?”

“Sure.”

It’s nice and cool outside and when they step an appropriate amount away from the bar, Louis lights up his fag. He feels a bit more sobered up now, being outside with Harry.

Louis doesn’t say anything, instead, he waits for Harry. Harry looks like he’s trying to think of where to even begin and Louis almost wants to jump in and talk first. Put them both out of their misery so to speak. But he doesn’t because he’s a coward.

“I just… I want to know if we’re okay? You’ve seemed rather distant lately and I’m not sure if it’s because I did something wrong or…?” Harry begins.

Louis lets out a puff of smoke away from Harry so that he doesn’t catch much wind of it. Louis knew this was bound to happen but he hoped he had a bit more time to think about things. He was hoping that Harry being away at London would help with that but fate and Niall had other plans apparently. He summons as much strength as he can, knowing that what he’s about to do is going to hurt him a whole lot.

“Look, Harry. I think it’s best that we end our little arrangement. You’re about to start a world tour and you’ve got obligations that are going to take so much of your time. It’s time for us to just go our separate ways now, before things start getting crazy.” The words feel like bile coming out of Louis’ throat. Ending things with Harry is the last thing he wants to do. But in order to protect his own heart, Louis knows this is what is best for them to do.

Louis avoids Harry’s gaze as he stares ahead of him. They’re stood right by the alley, next to a couple of bins. Louis stubs his cigarette. He’s tempted to grab another one, just to do something with his hands, but instead he sticks them in his jean pockets. He can feel Harry staring at him and he thinks he sees him look down at his feet from the corner of his eye but he isn’t quite sure.

Harry clears his throat. “Yeah... you’re right.”

At that, Louis’ head snaps over at Harry. Harry looks pretty unaffected by it all and that makes Louis feel even more like a fool. Here he is, about to come apart as soon as Harry walks away, but Harry looks so well put together, as if they’re just standing around talking about the weather. Louis wants to throw something.

“It was fun while it lasted, right?” Harry says, nudging Louis with his elbow. He tries his best not to retract his arm so fast as if he’s been burned, even though that’s exactly what he feels like.

“Yeah... Yeah it was,” Louis forces himself to say. He feels completely sober now and he just wants to go home and cry. “Alright, well. I’m gonna call it a night. Tell the lads goodbye for me. Have fun in London,” Louis says. 

Harry nods. “Bye Louis.”

Before Harry can even finish, Louis is already walking away. His eyes burning with unshed tears.

 

**XXX  
**   


Harry doesn’t remember most of the flight to London because he’s too drowsy from the dramamine he made sure to take before boarding. He’s been in a weird sort of daze since his conversation with Louis last night. It’s like he’s dreaming and the stuff happening around him doesn’t feel real and any second he’s going to wake up— hopefully in Louis’ arms.

But he doesn’t. When he wakes up, it’s to Liam shaking him to let him know they’re about to land. Harry grunts and forces himself to open his eyes. He’d like to think it was all a nightmare but he knows it isn’t because he can still hear Louis’ words in his mind. Each word continues to cut at him like a dagger, ripping his heart open. Of course, Louis has no idea. Harry didn’t have the courage to tell Louis he’d fallen in love with him and he’d stopped looking at what they had as an arrangement a long time ago. That Louis is all he thinks about and that he wants more. As soon as Louis said they should end things, Harry shoved all of those thoughts as far back as he possibly could. Harry felt it would be no use to tell Louis the truth because he wouldn’t be ending things if he felt the same way about Harry.

Once they deplane, they head outside where the paps are already waiting to photograph Harry’s arrival. He’s supposed to be creating buzz about being in London for Layla’s movie premiere, even though he’s not just here for that. Luckily, the premiere isn’t for a couple of days and Harry has some time where he can hopefully catch up on sleep and maybe even see Gemma. 

Harry ignores the flashes and the paps asking him if he’s here for Layla and quickly gets into the waiting vehicle. After checking into the hotel, he takes the hottest shower his body will allow. He doesn’t think about Louis and the last night they were together. How Louis claimed him and how Harry felt wrapped up in his arms, never wanting to leave. How if Harry would have known that was their last night together, he would have made the most of it. Harry’s throat tightens and he turns the water off.

Harry grabs some alcohol from the mini bar and he drinks. He wonders how much alcohol it would take for him to forget Louis Tomlinson before he eventually passes out on his bed with a tear trailing down his cheek.

-

“Well, at least he’s alive,” Harry hears the unmistakable sound of his sister’s voice. Harry grunts, the pounding headache reminding him of his activities before he passed out.

Harry blinks, rubbing his eyes at the brightness of the room which is doing nothing to help with the headache. “Gemma, what are you doing here?”

Gemma rolls her eyes and sits on the bed near him. “We had dinner plans over an hour ago. I thought you’d been kidnapped by some crazed fan or something. What are you doing?”

Harry notices all the tiny empty bottles of vodka scattered all around him, reminding him of his activities before falling asleep. Shit. “Nothing... just had a bit to drink, that’s all.”

Gemma eyes the bed. “Well I’ll say. Seems like you drank the entire mini bar. But my question is why?”

Harry cradles his head in his hands. “Can you keep your voice down, please? My head is killing me.”

Gemma sighs and gets up from the bed, walking across the room over to the bar to get a water bottle. “Here, drink this. I’ll have Liam get you a paracetamol.”

Harry takes the bottle and chugs almost half of it down, not realizing how thirsty he really was. Gemma sits back down and places a hand on his arm.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s going on with you? Why did I walk in on my brother passed out drunk just hours after getting into town?” Gemma’s voice is gentle and nonjudgmental, which he truly appreciates. She’s always been more understanding than anyone. She’s also the only one that knows about Harry’s crush on Louis, though she has no idea that those feeling have developed into love.

Harry rubs at his face before letting out a breath. “Louis and I... we were sort of involved and he ended things between us yesterday.”

Bless Gemma for not showing any sort of reaction. Instead she nods. “Okay... well, it looks like you’re not up for going out anywhere. So how about we order in some greasy room service and see what kind of rom coms we can catch on tv, and if you want to talk about it, we can do that too.”

Harry sits up, surging forward to hug her. “Thank you, Gems,” he breathes into her ear.

Gemma’s hand comes up to rub at his back and feeling that comfort from one of his favorite people is exactly what he needs right now. So Harry makes himself get out of bed, making sure to clean up all the empty bottles while Gemma orders them burgers, chips and ice cream. They settle on watching Never Been Kissed on Netflix.

The food feels like a godsend and Harry doesn’t realize how hungry he is until he takes a bite off his juicy burger. The movie is an old favorite of Harry’s and, as much as he tries, his mind keeps finding ways to insert Louis into his thoughts as he tries to enjoy the movie. 

He thinks about how long he and Louis went without kissing and how, when they finally did, Harry never wanted it to stop. And maybe that’s where they went wrong. Maybe they shouldn’t have ever kissed, because kissing Louis was so addicting, Harry never wanted to stop. Kissing leads to physical touch, which then leads to falling in love and love, well, that only leads to heartbreak. At least for Harry it has.

And it’s not like Harry has fallen in love often. He and his ex boyfriend weren’t together very long, not long enough to develop real feelings for him. Before that, Harry had a few dates here and there, some random hookups, but nothing more. Now that Harry has gotten a taste of what the real stuff feels like, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be the same again. Louis has pretty much ruined him for everyone else and Harry is fucked.

Before long, the movie is over and Harry is still lost in thoughts of Louis and he flushes in embarrassment when Gemma has to get his attention because he was daydreaming about the past. Harry takes one look at Gemma, who looks so warm and open, and that’s when he just completely loses it.

Harry unloads everything off his chest, starting from the very beginning. It feels cathartic, telling his sister about Louis. He obviously leaves out the sexual details because no one, especially his older sister, needs to know all of that. But he does tell her how sweet, kind, and caring Louis was towards him and how Harry fell head first without even realizing it until it was too late.

He somehow ends up with his head laid on Gemma’s lap as she plays with his hair and just listens. It feels good talking to someone about it. 

Her hand stops abruptly. “Wait. So you said that he started acting all weird and distant when you had to sign that PR relationship contract?”

Harry tilts his head to look at his sister. “Yeah. As soon as I walked into his office, something just felt off. I hoped it was something temporary but he just became very distant after that. And then he just ended things.”

“Hmm.” Gemma resumes playing with Harry’s curls. “What if he has feelings for you, too?”

“What do you mean?”

Gemma shrugs. “It just seems odd to me that he would be so caring towards you one day and the next act so distant. Maybe the thing with you and Layla was too much for him. I don’t know, boys are weird.”

She changes the subject and starts talking about her friend at work, but Harry’s mind stays stuck on Gemma’s words.

-

Everything around Harry feels like he’s on autopilot, just going through the motions and getting through his obligations when all he really wants to do is be in bed all day. He does his album promo and that goes okay, though he does find himself having to ask the interviewer to repeat their question a couple of times.

At one point, after he finishes an interview, Liam pulls him aside, taking them to a more secluded area.

“Hey, are you okay?” Liam’s big brown eyes look at him worried. Harry hates making Liam worry.

“I’m fine... I’m still a bit jet lagged, I think,” he lies. Liam gives him a sceptical glance but seems to let him get away with it for now.

Harry gets through a couple of more interviews with Radio 1 and Capital FM, which turn out a lot better because the radio hosts seem very outgoing and keep Harry on his toes, making him play silly games that make him think on the spot. By the time he’s done with the last one, he feels absolutely knackered and ready to pass out for an entire day.

They’re in the car on their way to the hotel when Liam nudges him. “Zayn and I are going out for dinner, want to join us?”

Harry wants to groan because the last thing he wants to do is hang out with the most loved up couple he knows, feeling like he’s being mocked.

Instead, Harry yawns and stretches his arms out above his head. “No, I’m good. Just going to bed, I’m exhausted.”

“Just have dinner with us and then you can go back to your room. It won’t take long. Come on, you’ve hardly been out of your room since we’ve landed,” Liam insists. And dammit. He’s using that voice that makes it nearly impossible for Harry to say no and Liam knows that. 

Trying his best not to roll his eyes, Harry relents. “Fine. But I get to pick the restaurant.”

“Deal.” Liam grins. Harry wants to slap it right off his face but he doesn’t because he’s a good friend.

Of course, Harry chooses one of the restaurants located inside the hotel so he doesn’t have to travel very far and can have an easy escape in case the lovebirds get to be too much for him. Liam isn’t amused, though.

“Really, Harry?” Liam glares at him as he leads them into the restaurant.

“What? You agreed I would get to choose the restaurant,” Harry says innocently. Liam punches him in the arm.

Liam turns to Zayn. “Remind me to never let Harry choose anything in the future.”

Zayn puts his arm around Liam. “Sure, babe.”

Dinner doesn’t turn out being so bad. Liam and Zayn seem to hold off on the PDA which Harry is grateful for. Liam goes over Harry’s schedule for tomorrow, which includes the premiere he’s obligated to be at. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with all of this?” Liam asks him after he finishes going over his schedule. “Because if at any time you want out, just say the word. I’m not sure if I can do much but I sure as hell will try.”

Harry really loves Liam for that, he’s always assured that his manager and best friend has his best interest in mind.

“I’ll be okay. I think I just need to adjust but I’ll let you know if anything changes,” Harry tells him.

They get dinner and throughout their meal, Liam’s searching stare doesn’t relent it’s starting to make Harry uneasy. He wonders if Liam doesn’t buy the nonchalant act Harry is trying to go for. Harry is just trying to get through dinner so he can go back into hiding. Liam seems to be catching on.

When they finish dinner, Harry is about to excuse himself but before he can, Liam stops him. 

“Hold up Harry. I’m coming with you.”

Harry can’t help but throw his best friend a peeved look. “Why? I mean, Liam, I just want to get some rest. I’m not really in the mood to hang out.”

Liam doesn’t say anything though, he looks determined as they step into the lift up to their floor. When they get to Harry’s room, there’s still silence from Liam so Harry sits on the bed and waits. He has a feeling he’s about to get lectured or something.

Liam stands in front of Harry, crossing his arms against his chest. “What happened between you and Louis?”

And… Harry wasn’t expecting that to come out of Liam’s mouth.

Harry blinks. “What do you mean?”

Liam scoffs. “Oh, no. Don’t give me that, Harry. I know there was something going on between you two. And I know that you’re as subtle as a brick. Now, obviously something happened because I haven’t seen you this,” he waves his hand in front of Harry, “this bleak since that time you read all that hate on your YouTube comments.”

Harry opens his mouth to protest but then he closes his mouth and drops his shoulders. 

“Okay, fine. Yeah, Louis and I had a thing but it’s over now so…” Harry’s voice shakes and he clears his throat.

“So... things ended... but you didn’t want them to?” Liam asks, tilting his head.

Harry drops his head down and shakes it. He feels the bed dip next to him and Liam’s warm arm wrap around his shoulders.

“Oh, Haz. Why didn’t you talk to me?” Liam’s voice is so much softer now, seeming to understand the gravity of the situation.

Harry shrugs. “We weren’t supposed to tell anyone we had anything going on. I had no idea you knew.”

Harry drops his head to Liam’s shoulder, letting his best friend run his hand through his hair. 

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while now. Then one time when I was on my way home, I saw Louis leaving the apartment. He didn’t see me and I didn’t tell you anything because I figured you’d tell me when you were ready,” Liam admits.

Harry thinks about what Liam could be talking about and he realizes he could only mean that time Louis randomly showed up at the apartment after hearing his album. The night that they kissed for the first time and Liam interrupted the moment sending Louis rushing out the door. It can’t be any other time because Louis hasn’t been to their apartment before or after that.

“Yeah, well... I’m an idiot. I should have known better than to involve myself with him,” Harry says.

Liam squeezes Harry’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up, H. Love happens when you least expect it, you two weren’t immune.”

Harry chuckles bitterly. “I wasn’t but he was. He’s the one that ended it. He obviously doesn’t feel that way about me.”

“There’s no way that’s true. I saw the way he looked at you. It’s one of the reasons why I kept quiet so long. There was something about the way he looked at you that just assured me he really cared about you,” Liam explains.

“I’m not sure what you saw but it wasn’t love,” Harry insists.

“Did you tell him?” Liam asks.

Harry lifts his head up to get a better look at Liam. “What do you mean?”

“Did you tell him you fell in love with him?” 

Harry looks down at his lap, folding his hands together. “No. He said we should go our separate ways. I just went with it and agreed. I was trying to save face and act like his words weren’t affecting me as much as they did.”

“You should have told him. Maybe that would have made him reconsider everything,” Liam says.

“What? How? By feeling sorry for me and deciding to stay with me out of pity? No, I don’t want that,” Harry tells him.

“Maybe he fell for you, too, and that’s why he ended things. Trying to protect his heart from getting hurt because he thinks you don’t feel the same way,” Liam suggests, “That’s what happened with Zayn, you know? He ended things the first time because he was afraid of what would happen with his career taking off and me being at school. So he ended things and made the decision for us instead of coming to me to talk about it. I’m just saying, you should talk to Louis and get answers. You deserve it, don’t you think?”

Harry lets Liam’s words sink in. “I don’t know, Liam. I’ll have to think about it.”

Liam pats him on the back, “Please do. I don’t want you to spend your time wondering what if…”

Harry promises to think about it for the rest of their stay in London. Liam might have a point.

-

Having to smile for the cameras, acting loved up with Layla in his arm feels like pulling teeth. Harry is pretty sure he’s grimacing more than he is smiling but he doesn’t even care. People around them still seem to believe that they’re a new budding romance and that’s all Harry is here to sell anyway. 

They walk through the red carpet and talk to a couple of journalists. Layla takes the lead, thank God, and Harry just smiles and nods at whatever she says. It seems like she’s been through this quite a few times and Harry is more than okay with that. 

They make it into the cinema and find their seats just moments before the film is about to begin. Harry wishes he could leave now that he’s technically done with his obligations but he’s also not a jerk so he stays. After all, he really has been a fan of Layla’s previous films before this whole ordeal began. 

The film is a romantic comedy where Layla plays an actress who has been hiding from the limelight after an unfortunate public breakdown and she hires a ghostwriter to write her autobiography as she works on getting back into acting. She acts very conceited and full of herself and the man that plays the ghostwriter can’t seem to stand her at first but they spend days at her beach house, making their dislike for each other turn into love. 

There’s a scene where both characters are out on the beach watching the sunrise and it takes Harry back to that moment in Mexico with Louis when they were watching the sunset. He can still smell the salty ocean and feel how warm the sun felt against his skin. Most of all, he remembers how blue Louis’ eyes were. 

They were as blue as the clear ocean they swam in to get to that hidden beach, where they almost kissed. He remembers how Louis’ gaze was like a magnet, pulling him in. And then, because Harry’s brain is very cruel, he remembers the first time he kissed Louis. He remembers how he felt like Louis was breathing life into him with the brush of their lips, the static electricity was unreal. The way that Louis looked at him, like his eyes were searching for something deep inside of Harry, it made him burn with want and desire. How every time they kissed after that, it felt like Louis was imprinting words into Harry’s skin with intent.

Harry pauses his thoughts. Harry has never been kissed the way that Louis kissed him. He kissed with a softness, like Harry was delicate and tender. Could it be… A spark of something like hope ignites in Harry. He needs to know. He needs to see Louis and find out once and for all if Harry’s love is one sided or not.

Harry shoots Liam a text telling him to book him the next flight out to Los Angeles. He can’t wait any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoever catches the fic reference I make in this chapter gets a gold star :)


	9. In Your Eyes I know I'm Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song for this chapter: For You by Liam Payne and Rita Ora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg I can't believe it's over...I'm gonna go cry...
> 
> Thanks again to Kayla for her manips that just really brought the fic to life and to my betas Maggie and Molly and KK for brit picking. You are all rockstars and I love you for taking the time to read over this for me.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read it as a wip and left me comments as you read along, those made my day.
> 
> And thanks to everyone else who's taking their time to read this, I appreciate it so so much.

“Alright, that’s it. What’s wrong?” Lottie drops her fork on the plate and stares at Louis expectantly. 

Louis’ sister is in town since she’s touring with Dua Lipa. They are at lunch right now, catching up. Louis was hoping to paste on a smile and pretend that everything is okay with him. It’s obviously not working.

Louis pinches his eyebrows together, still trying to put up an act. “What? Nothing’s wrong.” 

Lottie shakes her head. “You’re so full of shit, Louis. You’ve looked like a kicked puppy since the moment I saw you. Don’t try denying it. I know you better than that.”

Louis isn’t sure if he should feel offended that his sister is insulting his acting skills or be touched that she can read him really well. He sighs, giving in and dropping the facade. “Okay, fine.”

Lottie’s gaze doesn’t waver and Louis knows she’s not going to stop until he tells her what’s going on. And where does Louis even begin?

“It’s a long story, Lots, and, frankly, I feel that I’m going to need something a lot stronger than this to tell you,” Louis says, lifting the bottle of coke on the table.

“Alright, how about this. We’ll meet up for Dua’s show tonight and then we’ll go out for drinks and you can tell me everything,” Lottie offers.

Louis feels like he shows his first genuine smile in a while at his sister’s offer. “Yeah, I’d love that.”

Before the show, Louis meets Lottie backstage and he gets to see her at work. He’s so proud of his sister and everything she’s accomplished. The way that Dua and Lottie joke around with each other like they’re long lost sisters really warms Louis’ heart. Lottie introduces Louis to Dua and when they shake hands, he wastes no time telling her what a big fan he is. 

After Lottie is done with her job, they find a spot out by the floor close to the stage to watch the concert. Louis grabs them a couple of beers and everything is amazing. Louis doesn’t remember the last time he’s been to a concert for his own enjoyment and it’s proved to be a great distraction from his thoughts and his life.

Dua Lipa puts on a great show and, just as promised, Louis and Lottie go out for drinks after the concert. Louis isn’t sure if it’s the adrenaline high from the show or the alcohol swimming in his veins, but he lets it all out. He tells Lottie about the first time he met Harry, about how he was just a stranger that Louis wasn’t planning on seeing ever again. It’s all pouring out of him and Louis isn’t able to stop it once he starts because he’s going on and on about how his label ended up signing Harry and how they both tried keeping things professional between them. He talks to Lottie about Mexico, about writing Sign of the Times with Harry and how Louis just couldn’t keep away after seeing Harry performing at their Christmas showcase. Louis finds himself on the verge of tears by the time he’s telling Lottie that he ended things once he felt he was in too deep, unable to stop his feelings for Harry. 

Lottie is there, comforting him with an arm around his shoulders. She orders another cocktail and Louis takes it, letting the alcohol burn down his throat.

“Oh, Louis. I’m so sorry,” Lottie sympathizes. 

Louis shrugs. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

“You know it’s okay to not be fine,” she tells him. After a few beats of silence between them, she says, “Did you ever try telling Harry how you feel?”

Louis shakes his head. “No. We had agreed it was just an arrangement and besides, when I ended things, he didn’t even protest. He just went with it. If he felt the same in any way, don’t you think he’d say something?”

“I guess,” Lottie concedes, but she still sounds a little doubtful.

Louis ends up taking an Uber home, knowing full well he wasn’t going to be in any condition to drive. When he arrives home, he only stumbles once on the steps before unlocking the door. He drinks what feels like gallons of water, feeling dehydrated from all the jumping and dancing he did followed by all the drinking. He falls on his couch, catching up on some nightly news before bed.

Just as Louis is about to turn off the television, an entertainment news show plays a short clip of Layla and Harry on the red carpet from earlier today. Layla is smiling brightly for the camera, she’s a very photogenic girl, looking lovely in her stunning gown. She’s got her arm in Harry’s and she seems to be leading him around. Poor Harry looks like a deer caught in the headlights, obviously not having much experience with these types of events. Louis’ heart tugs a little and he forces himself to turn the TV off before it gets worse. It’s all still too fresh in Louis’ mind and he still doesn’t know how he’s supposed to face Harry at work like it’s nothing.

As Louis lays in bed, he thinks about Lottie’s words and he imagines what it would have been like if he did tell Harry how he felt. 

Louis pictures two scenarios: one where Harry grins with his dimple and eyes bright as he jumps into Louis’ arms and tells him that he feels the same way and has been waiting for Louis to say something first. He pictures them kissing and so in love, Louis can almost feel it in his bones. Then, Louis pictures the other scenario because his mind is fucked up like that. He pictures Harry looking at him, his eyes avoiding Louis’ gaze when he tells him his true feelings. He pictures Harry stuttering as he makes up a lame excuse about needing to be somewhere but, in reality, Louis knows what it means. Louis imagines Harry ignoring Louis’ calls and texts until, eventually, he takes a hint. It hurts Louis’ heart just thinking about it and he doesn’t think he’d be able to take that in real life. He stops his mind from thinking anything else about that scenario because it’s becoming too much. Louis turns over on his bed, sighing to himself. No, that doesn’t seem like something Harry would do, whether he had feelings for Louis or not. 

The sound of the doorbell shakes Louis from his Harry-filled thoughts, making him jump. His heart races while he gets up to see who it could be, glancing at the clock on his nightstand letting him know it’s nearly 2 a.m.

When Louis looks through the peephole, Harry is the last person he expects to find on the other side, especially because he wasn’t supposed to be leaving London until tomorrow.

Louis opens the door, suddenly feeling too naked in nothing but his boxer briefs. “Harry? What are you doing here?” Louis’ voice sounds rougher than he’d intended but there’s no time to dwell on that now. Harry’s eyes are wide, scanning over Louis before he walks inside and Louis closes the door behind him.

Harry stands in the foyer, his eyes fixed on Louis. His bottom lip is trembling a little and, as Louis scans Harry from head to toe, he notices that he’s wearing the black leather collar. Louis’ breath hitches as soon as he sees it.

“Harry... what...” And before he can say anything else, Harry is dropping to his knees, putting his hands behind his back, his gaze at Louis unwavering. Louis’ throat tightens, he swallows thickly trying to keep his composure at the sight before him. Louis thinks he’s about to lose it. He closes his eyes for a second before opening them again. “Harry... what are you doing?” he asks carefully.

Harry bites his bottom lip and closes his eyes, taking in an audible breath. “I need...” his voice shakes. Louis steps closer to him and Harry tilts his neck up higher to keep his gaze on Louis. “I need to tell you that I’m in love with you.”

The words hit Louis like a freight train. Harry loves him. Harry is in love with him. Louis remains frozen in place while he processes Harry’s words. Louis had just been trying to convince himself that Harry didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Now, Harry is right here, on his knees before him, telling him that he does. It’s a lot.

Louis brings a hand and places it on Harry’s head. Harry’s eyes instinctively close, leaning into the touch. He’s always been so good for Louis, it makes his heart soar.

“You’re in love with me?” Louis’ voice is higher than normal but he needs to hear it again. He needs to hear the words come out of Harry’s lips again and again.

Harry nods, his eyes so big and bright. “Yes, Daddy. I love you so much.”

Louis’ knees go weak and he drops to the floor right in front of Harry. He takes Harry’s face in his hands. “I love you, too, baby. So, so much.” 

Harry’s lips curve into a blissful smile and Louis leans in to finally seal their words with a kiss. They fall into it easily and Louis feels like they’re floating right in the middle of his foyer. Their kiss is hungry, passionate, filled with so many things that have been left unsaid between them.

Louis stands on his feet, helping Harry do the same. Louis goes back in to take Harry’s lips. It feels like it’s been so long since he’s gotten to have a taste of Harry and Louis never wants to stop. Harry lets out the prettiest whine and it only makes Louis kiss him deeper, with more intensity. Louis pushes Harry against the wall, his hands falling on Harry’s hips. It’s amazing how pliant Harry gets when he’s like this, his body is so soft and inviting, driving Louis absolutely mad.

Louis pulls away, their lips making an obscene smacking sound. “Come on.”

Harry’s eyes blink heavily before he seems to realize what Louis said, so Louis grabs his hand and guides him over to the other room. Louis doesn’t use his dining room much but he wants to make good use of it right now.

Louis helps Harry take off his t-shirt and sweatpants. “Hands on the table, baby. Don’t move,” he commands. Harry goes easily, without a word, placing his hands flat on the dining room table as he leans over the surface. 

Harry’s arse is perked up high in the air, making Louis choke back a groan before he goes to look for the lube in one of the spare bathrooms. When he returns, Harry hasn’t moved an inch.

Louis drops a kiss on Harry’s hip. “What’s your color?”

Harry looks over his shoulder, his eyes are so dark Louis can’t find any trace of green in them, his lips bitten red. 

“Green,  _ green _ .” He sounds so desperate, Louis can imagine how much Harry probably wants to urge Louis to hurry and get on with it. But Louis has other plans in mind that he knows Harry won’t be complaining about later.

Louis brings his hands, one on each of Harry’s arse cheeks. He squeezes them, gripping onto the warm flesh before rubbing them in smooth circles. He can feel the way Harry’s skin buzzes beneath his fingertips every time Louis touches him. Louis’ right hand comes up before he slaps it down against Harry’s arse cheek. Harry twitches, whining in pleasure while Louis rubs over the pinkened area. He repeats the same movement with his left hand.

“Ngh!” Harry groans. His skin feels so smooth and milky against Louis’ palm, he finds himself doing it again and again. Louis rubs Harry’s bum again, checking in to make sure he’s still with him before he goes again. 

Louis doesn’t do more than ten slaps, not wanting to focus on that but still wanting Harry to experience ultimate pleasure. 

“You took that so well, love. So good for me,” Louis praises. Harry’s head hangs between his shoulders, breathing heavily. Louis plants soft kisses down Harry’s spine, leaving a last one right above his arse. “Keep your hands on the table, okay? Don’t move,” Louis tells him after checking in with him again.

“Okay,” Harry breathes.

Louis drops to his knees, using his hands to spread Harry open, revealing his puckered, pink hole. He swipes his tongue from Harry’s balls up until he circles his hole, nudging at it with the tip of his tongue. Harry cries out but he remains still, letting Louis continue fucking him with his tongue. Harry tastes heavenly, a combination of soap and musk that infiltrates Louis’ nostrils, making him moan as he continues drilling into him. He brings one finger to join his tongue, gently prodding inside of Harry. The sinful noises Harry makes make Louis desperate, so he pulls away, reaching over for the lube he’d left on the table.

Louis coats his fingers generously before working to finger Harry open. He starts with one but it doesn’t take long until his middle finger joins the other. Louis scissors his fingers open watching in amazement the way Harry is so pliant and responsive. Before he knows it, he’s got three fingers inside of Harry and when Louis stands up to lube himself up, he hears Harry whine in protest.

“Don’t worry, baby. I’m gonna fuck you really good, okay?” Louis pats Harry gently on his lower back and Harry groans.

“ _ Please.” _

Louis rushes to coat his cock with enough lube before he’s finally, finally entering him. He isn’t slow about it but he’s careful, using one hand to guide his dick and the other to hold Harry’s hip. When he’s completely bottomed out, Louis lets out a breath, like this is all he’s wanted, all he’s needed his entire life. He doesn’t waste any more time before he’s slamming into Harry.

Louis fucks Harry quick and hard, using both hands to grip tightly onto Harry’s waist. He fucks Harry so hard the table moves but Harry’s hands stay on the table either way. 

“Fuck, baby, you feel so good. So tight for me,” Louis groans, thrusting into Harry. His rhythm turns erratic, desperate. “I. Love. You. So. Much.”

Harry yelps, meeting Louis’ hips with every thrust. “I love you, fuck!”

Harry’s arse bounces obscenely, it’s a sight Louis never wants to forget. The way his pinkened bum takes Louis’ cock so well, he could cry.

“Daddy, I wanna come, please,” Harry begs.

“Okay, baby,” Louis says.

Harry wastes no time in reaching a hand over to his own cock, tugging at it to chase his own release. That only makes Louis work harder, pulling Harry’s hips against his own. Harry shakes beneath him and with a shout, he’s spilling over the table.

“I’m gonna come, baby,” Louis warns.

“Come on me, please,” Harry pleads, lifting himself up on his arms after recovering from his own orgasm.

“Yeah— yeah, okay.”

Harry drops to his knees in front of Louis again, and fuck. He looks so fucked out, his hair sweaty and matted everywhere, his face streaked with tears, and his lips bitten red. Louis tugs on his cock a couple of times before Harry is waiting with his mouth open, tongue sticking out, and that’s what does it for him. Louis’ body twitches as he comes, groaning Harry’s name. The white hot streaks land on Harry’s lips and face like a painting, so stunning.

When Louis comes down from his high, he kneels down in front of Harry, taking his face in his own hands.

“You’re gorgeous. So good to me.” Louis leans in and kisses Harry, licking into his mouth and tasting himself on his tongue. The come gets on Louis, too, and when they pull away they’re both giggling.

“Let’s go clean you up,” Louis says, lifting himself back to his feet and lending Harry a hand. Harry wobbles a bit but, overall, he’s still with Louis. 

They go into the kitchen together and Louis cleans Harry up before he gets him some water. Louis stares at Harry as he gulps it down.

“Come on, baby. Let’s go to bed. You must be exhausted,” Louis tells him. He wraps his arm around Harry’s waist, leading him towards the bedroom.

They lay in bed together, Harry laying on Louis’ chest, and for the first time since they’ve met, they spend the night together wrapped up in each other’s arms.

-

Louis’ eyes shoot open as soon as his alarm goes off. He jumps and reaches over to turn it off, rubbing his eyes. He freezes when he realizes what happened last night. Harry was at his door, got to his knees and confessed his love. Was it real or was it just a figment of Louis’ pathetic imagination? He looks around and there’s no trace of Harry anywhere. Louis’ heart races starting to believe that it really was a dream.

Louis falls back on his bed, on the verge of tears when Harry enters the bedroom, his phone in hand.

“Harry?” Louis feels the need to make sure it’s really him, for some reason.

Harry’s lips curve into a smile. “Hey. Sorry, I was on a phone call and didn’t want to wake you,” he explains climbing back on the bed and taking Louis in his arms.

Louis chuckles at himself. “I thought I had dreamed what happened last night, I was about to feel sorry for myself.”

Harry kisses him on his head. “Not a dream at all. I’m in love with you and you’re in love with me. It’s all very real. My arse is sore as fuck, I can show you the bruises if you want.”

Louis giggles, then breathes a sigh of relief. “No need, I’m good.”

 

**XXX**

 

There’s nothing like having the man you love wrapped in your arms. Harry is the happiest man in the world right now, being with Louis.

“Are you hungry? I can make us something for breakfast,” Harry offers after taking a break from their endless kissing sessions. It feels like they’re in a new relationship where all they want to do is lay in bed all day and kiss endlessly.

Louis hums. “Food sounds good. Sounds perfect,” he says. His voice is sleep soft and perfect. Harry nuzzles his nose into his hair.

“You’re perfect,” Harry tells him, before going in for another kiss. 

The kiss turns deep and passionate quickly. Harry licks into Louis’ mouth, tasting everywhere he can. Louis whines and before he knows it, Harry is on top of Louis, nestled between his legs. Harry takes everything Louis will give him, working his way down to Louis’ jaw, his throat and settling on his collarbones. He traces his tongue along every letter across his chest, nibbling and licking, leaving marks as he does.

Harry pulls away to take a look at Louis. He looks so fucked out even though all they’ve been doing is kissing. Harry’s erection is straining between his legs and he can only guess Louis is in the same predicament. 

“Let me take care of you,” Harry says. It isn’t even a question. Louis nods and Harry leans back in to kiss Louis again. 

They’re naked in no time and Harry grabs the lube and works on opening Louis up. He starts off slow, taking his time. Neither of them are in a hurry and Harry wants to do things right. He fingers Louis open until he’s a whining mess beneath him.

“Harry,” Louis pleads. Harry kisses him, taking his fingers out and wiping them on the sheet.

“I’ve got you,” Harry assures him. 

They both gasp when Harry enters him, Louis’ arms wrapping around Harry’s back, holding on like a lifeline. Harry rests his hands on either side of Louis’ head, looking down at him with so much love. Louis has his eyes closed and his lip caught between his teeth and as Harry thrusts in and out of him, the prettiest little moans escape his lips. Harry leans down to kiss him while he continues moving.

Harry’s thrusts are slow and deep even though he can tell Louis wants him to do it faster, but he wants to take his time. It isn’t often he gets to be inside of Louis and Harry is going to relish in this feeling, commit it to memory. 

“You look so good like this, feel so good,” Harry tells him.

Louis groans after a particular thrust. “Love it when you fuck me,” he pants.

Harry moves faster, with more purpose, snapping his hips harder, bringing noises out of both of them. Harry feels entirely consumed by Louis, by his scent, his body and the way he looks so utterly blissed out. It doesn’t take much longer before Harry finds his release, coming hard inside of Louis. Harry brings a hand to Louis’ cock, tugging on it a few times while he kisses him deeply, getting Louis to orgasm in no time. Harry lays on top of Louis for a moment, catching his breath and kissing Louis slowly and languidly before he finally pulls out and lays beside him on the bed.

Louis turns to face Harry, a weak smile on his face. “I need to let you fuck me more often,” he says.

Harry chuckles, kissing Louis on the lips. “Mmm, I’d fuck you every day if you’d let me.”

Louis laughs, too. “Be careful what you wish for.”

They lay there for a while, until Harry finally gets out of bed, determined to make them both something to eat. 

Louis rolls off the bed, standing up with a hand behind himself. “Oh, my God, your come is dripping down my legs,” he yelps as he scurries over to the bathroom to clean up.

Harry giggles “Sorry!” though he’s not really sorry.

Louis’ head emerges from the doorway with a smirk. “How about you join me for a shower and then we’ll get something to eat?”

Harry walks toward the ensuite without question. “Don’t need to tell me twice.”

The shower turns into a blow job and a shower, with Louis dropping to his knees and sucking Harry’s dick until he comes so hard he nearly slips on the wet tile. They help wash each other’s hair and exchange kisses in between. It’s very domestic and Harry loves every minute of it. 

When they finally manage to get out of the shower, Louis lends Harry some clothes to put on. They make their way to the kitchen, and Harry searches through Louis’ cabinets for what he can make them for breakfast. Louis sits on the counter, looking as gorgeous as ever, distracting Harry in every way, and he loves it. Harry settles on making them cheese omelettes and toast while Louis finally makes himself useful and prepares them some tea. They settle themselves on the little patio outside. It’s a beautiful day out and they enjoy their food in comfortable silence. Harry knows there are still things they need to talk about but it doesn’t seem like the right time for that now. 

“What time do you have to be at the office today?” Harry asks Louis once he finishes his breakfast and sits back in his chair to enjoy the rest of his tea.

Louis shrugs. “Didn’t have much planned for today. Was thinking of just working from home.” 

Harry hums. “Well, I was supposed to be flying back from London so I don’t have any plans today, either.”

“Hmm... I wonder what we can do all day then.” Louis quirks his eyebrow suggestively, running his hand on Harry’s forearm.

Harry’s face heats up but he stops Louis before things go any further.

“Listen, Lou. I’d love to do anything you want us to do but first, I think we need to have a conversation. Don’t you think?” Harry looks at Louis, whose smile has dropped, but he nods.

“Yeah. You’re absolutely right,” Louis sighs. 

“I need to know why you ended things. I mean, I think I know why but I’d rather hear it from you, if that’s okay?” Harry asks, feeling a wave of nerves take over. If he wants to set things right with Louis, this conversation between them needs to happen.

“Harry, I... I’m sorry, first of all. I had just realized that I was falling in love with you and then I was thrown into this meeting with the board and they tell me that they need you to enter into this arrangement with Layla. I tried to fight it as much as I could but they were pretty set in their ways. That’s when I realized that I was in too deep with you, with us. I let it get to me so I started trying to keep my distance from you. When you finally brought it up, I decided to end things because in my mind I was preventing myself from future heartbreak,” Louis explains.

Harry puts a comforting hand on top of Louis’. “I’m sorry you felt that way. I wish you would have come to me and talked about it, and maybe we could have prevented a lot of hurt between us.”

Louis snorts. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I reacted before even thinking about it.”

“Okay. So, where do we go from here?” Harry asks. He knows that he has nothing to worry about but there’s still a sliver of nerves that niggles at him.

Louis takes a sip from his mug. “Well. I love you and I want us to be together. Like for real this time. No ‘arrangement’. I want us to be a real couple. Proper boyfriends.”

Harry grins. “You want to be my boyfriend?”

Louis’ cheeks flush and he smiles. “I definitely want to be your boyfriend.”

Harry gets out of his chair, leaning down to kiss Louis. “It’s an honor to be your boyfriend, Louis.”

Louis scoffs playfully. “You’re such a sap.”

Harry shuts him up by kissing him again.

They spend the rest of the day cuddling, watching films, kissing and fucking. Harry can’t help the way that Louis turns him on, especially just thinking about how they’re now in a proper relationship. Every time he thinks about the fact that Louis is his boyfriend, he feels the need to jump Louis’ bones. So he fucks Louis on the couch, and when they’re getting stuff ready for a late lunch, Harry drops to his knees for Louis. When they decide to go for an evening swim in the pool, Harry ends up fucking Louis in it.

“God, my arse is so sore, you animal,” Louis whines when they get out of the shower after their night swim.

Harry takes Louis in his arms and kisses him on his head. “You love me.” Louis doesn’t protest.

 

**XXX**

 

Harry’s tour sells out in five minutes. Sure, it’s a small venue tour but it’s still a huge accomplishment for him and for the label. Harry and Bebe have been exceeding every expectation, just like Louis and Niall knew they would.

The tour kicks off in Los Angeles at The Troubadour and Louis is lucky enough to be one of the people in the audience. The show is incredible, just like Louis expected it to be. Harry always puts on a great show, always treats the audience like his favorite people. The crowd is very responsive and energetic and everyone just has a really great time. If this is how every show is going to be for the next six months, then it’s going to be a great tour.

Louis is up on the balcony, enjoying every moment of the concert. He can’t help but think back to the first Harry show he ever saw of Harry’s and how it made him feel. Never in his life did he think this man would end up being someone so special, let alone someone Louis would be head over heels in love with. It’s crazy how things work out that way and Louis wouldn’t change anything for the world.

“Thank you, Los Angeles. You’ve been a great crowd tonight,” Harry’s voice brings Louis back to the present. Harry looks up from the stage and winks in Louis’ direction. “I love you all,” he says, not taking his eyes away from Louis. Louis blushes, giving Harry a thumbs up, and Harry goes on with the show.

-

They’re in New York and Harry is preparing to play Radio City Music Hall. Louis has shown up to a few of the US dates so far and he wouldn’t have missed New York for the world. Especially because he has some amazing news for Harry.

When Louis arrives at the venue, backstage is absolute chaos. He makes his way through, finally finding Harry’s dressing room. When he opens the door, Harry is half naked with nothing but his trousers on sitting on the couch with his guitar.

“Well hello,” Louis says.

Harry’s head snaps up and he beams as soon as he notices Louis in the doorway. Harry rushes over to him, jumping into his arms.

“Louis, you’re here,” Harry breathes into his ear.

Louis giggles. “Of course I’m here, love. I told you I would be.”

Harry tightens his embrace around him, nuzzling his nose into Louis’ hair. “I missed you so much.”

In the months that Harry and Louis have been together, Harry never fails to make Louis blush, even after all this time. “I missed you too, baby,” he says, kissing him on his cheek.

They hold onto each other for a while longer before Louis remembers he had some good news for Harry. He pulls away, kissing Harry on the lips and running his fingers through Harry’s hair. It’s getting longer and even more beautiful, Louis thinks.

“I have some exciting news for you,” Louis tells him.

Harry brightens up, pulling Louis with him on the couch, placing him on his lap. Louis goes easily, loving nothing more than being in Harry’s arms.

“Tell me,” Harry begs.

“You are nominated for the Grammy’s Best New Artist category,” Louis informs him.

Harry is smiling and Louis can see the moment he realizes what Louis is telling him. His eyes go wide and his lips part open in shock. 

“Are you serious?”

Harry’s reaction makes Louis laugh. “Yes! I’m serious. I just got the call this morning but I wanted to tell you in person.”

Harry yelps and hugs Louis tighter. “Oh, my God! This is great news!”

“It is! I’m so proud of you.” Louis leans in to kiss him again, this time longer.

When they pull away, Louis leans his forehead against Harry’s. “I love you.”

Harry grins and kisses him again. “I love you, too, more than you’ll ever know.”

-

There’s never a time that Louis doesn’t dread a meeting with the board. He can only imagine what this could be about. He takes a deep breath, entering the conference room to a table full of expectant eyes.

“Good morning,” Louis greets, taking a seat. He receives a few half hearted greetings in return.

“Hello, Louis,” Robert greets. “We asked you to meet with us today for a few reasons. We wanted to commend you for all the great work you’ve done in just a short year and launching two successful artists. The label has been thriving better than it has in years and it’s all thanks to you.”

Louis feels a sick sort of satisfaction getting to hear those words come out of Robert’s mouth, especially because he looks like he’s being forced to say them, which makes it all the more sweeter.

“Another thing we wanted to bring up is that your contract with the label as CEO is coming to an end and we would love to discuss the possibility of renewing it. We can’t picture anyone better for the job and we’d love to have you on board with us for a longer, more permanent period of time,” Robert tells him.

Right. Louis knew his contract as CEO was coming to an end soon but he really didn’t think much of it. He, along with Niall, Zayn, Harry and Liam, had been discussing possible options for when his and Niall’s contracts were over. And now that he has the opportunity to actually implement those things, Louis feels a bout of excitement at the pit of his stomach.

“You know, Robert, actually. It’s been a great year and I feel good about Harry and Bebe and what they have accomplished this past year. Harry has a Grammy nomination and Bebe has been smashing it in the charts with every single. However, I think I’d like to decline your offer. As soon as my contract expires, I’ll be leaving Hanover Records,” Louis announces. He doesn’t tell them that Niall and Zayn are coming with him, that’s for them to break on their own.

They’ve been looking at possible locations to start their own label, One Direction Records. They found the perfect location and actually have a meeting with the owner to go over paperwork with them so they can rent out the office space.

Robert’s face drops so comically that Louis wants to laugh but he resists because he’s still a professional, after all. The rest of the board doesn’t look happy either and they all send glares in Robert’s direction. 

Louis leaves the meeting feeling like the biggest weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he can finally breathe again. He knows he’s made the right decision.

 

**XXX**

 

Everything is dark and Harry can feel the warmth of Louis’ hand on his arm as he guides him along. Harry has no idea where they are or what they’re doing. When he had woken up this morning in their home for the first time in what feels like months, Louis was smiling and waiting telling Harry that he had a surprise for him for their one year anniversary.

Harry felt like he had to move mountains to make sure his schedule was free because he would be damned if he let his first anniversary with Louis be ruined. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end. Harry was planning to just laze around with Louis all day and make love to him in their bed because he’s been traveling so much they haven’t just been home together. But Louis has other plans, obviously.

So, Harry went along with it, letting Louis blindfold him and walk him to the car as Louis drove for some time, Harry isn’t quite sure how long exactly. When they’d arrived, Louis just pulled him along, and now here they are— walking somewhere Harry is still completely blinded.

Harry can hear some murmurs around him, which tells him there are people around. He wonders if they know what’s going on or if it’s just Harry who is being left out in the dark. The sound of a door creaking makes Harry concentrate again on Louis and what he’s doing. Louis’ hands settle on each side of Harry’s waist as he walks them into wherever they’re going. They stop, and for some reason, Harry’s heart is beating hard, increasing the longer he’s being left waiting.

“Okay,” Louis’ soft voice murmurs and Harry can feel his hands come up to the blindfold. The knot pulls at his longer hair, which Louis is careful with as he pulls the blindfold off. “Surprise,” Louis says before Harry’s vision is able to focus on anything.

Harry rubs at his eyes, taking in their surroundings. They’re in a room, it’s dark and there’s equipment in it.

“Are we…?” Before Harry can finish, he gasps, turning to Louis with wide eyes. “You didn’t!”

Louis grins, leaning in to kiss Harry on the lips. “I did.”

Harry and Louis had talked about someday coming back to the club where it had all began. They discussed how Harry wanted to try certain things. Harry has no idea what Louis has in store for him but just knowing that he’s here with Louis, where they first met, it makes something unknown spark inside of him.

It feels like Harry’s collar comes out of nowhere as Louis brings it up to show him before unfastening it and wrapping it around Harry’s neck. Harry’s eyes close instinctively as soon as he feels the leather strap make contact with his skin and it takes almost everything in him to not go under right then and there. But he doesn’t because he wants to be good for Louis, always wants to be good. When Louis straps it on him, it feels grounding and Harry can’t help but run his fingers along the leather, reminding himself who he belongs to.

Louis appears in Harry’s line of vision and his face hardens. “I want you to get on your knees and start opening yourself up and insert the biggest plug you can find, okay? I’ll be right back,” his voice is stern and leaves no room for Harry to question it. Louis turns around and steps out of the room and Harry jumps into action.

Looking through the different types of toys and plugs, Harry finally finds the one he deems the  biggest and grabs the lube to get to work. He strips out of all of his clothes, putting them away and returns to the spot Louis left him in, on his knees, lubing his fingers generously and begins to open himself up. The plug is very thick so Harry will need at least three fingers or more to prep himself. He starts with his index finger, slowly inserting it past the ring of muscle. It feels like ages since he last did this and it takes him back to nights alone without Louis. Harry shakes himself out of those thoughts immediately and continues pushing his finger inside himself. The first one is easy enough and he pushes it in and out of his arse with practiced ease. He vaguely wonders when Louis will return but that thought quickly fades when he tries getting his middle finger to join the other one. The stretch feels amazing and he’s groaning as he shoves both fingers into himself, making sure to spread them a bit to make room for the next one. Harry’s hand aches with the angle he’s in to get his fingers inside but he doesn’t stop. He continues on with the third finger, whining as it breaches his hole, needing to close his eyes and take a moment to adjust. 

It’s starting to feel a little overwhelming for Harry so he reminds himself to breathe. Just thinking about where he is and who he’s here with, it’s all floating around in his brain, making him feel hazy and out of it. He forces himself to focus on the task Louis trusted him to do. Harry can’t let him down, has to show him how good he is. Harry pulls his fingers out and begins to lube up the plug, reaching behind his body to nudge the tip into himself. He takes a deep breath to make himself relax and as he does, it slips right in.

It’s while Harry is touching the base of the plug to make sure it’s secure that Louis returns. Harry straightens up on his haunches hoping Louis notices how well he did, but he’s taken aback when he notices that a few people follow Louis inside the room. Harry doesn’t move but his eyes do scan the room and he sees four men standing behind Louis. Louis doesn’t pay attention to Harry, doesn’t even seem to notice that he’s there as he looks around for something. Harry wants to whine, wants to plead for Louis to look at him and tell him what a great job he did, but he doesn’t. Instead, Harry looks straight ahead, placing his hands on his thighs, waiting for further instruction.

“Baby,” Louis’ voice is gentle, soft, and Harry’s head snaps to meet his gaze. Louis smiles. “I brought some friends with me so that they can see how good you are. Would you like to show them what a good boy you are for me?”

Fuck. Harry remembers their conversation months ago, when he admitted to Louis that he’d love to be watched and have people get off on watching them play. Harry wants to jump up and grab Louis to kiss him and thank him for this but he can’t. He has four pair of eyes staring at him hungrily and he isn’t about to disappoint them or Louis. 

Harry nods almost too eagerly. “Yes, Daddy,  _ please _ .”

Louis brings a hand down to caress Harry’s cheek and Harry leans into the warmth of it almost purring at how good it feels to be touched by him. Louis retracts his hand too fast for Harry’s taste but he doesn’t complain. Louis drops his joggers and gets rid of his t-shirt, throwing them haphazardly aside. His eyes land on Harry and Harry almost wants to look away from the intensity of Louis’ gaze but he maintains eye contact as Louis takes a hand to wrap around his cock to stroke himself a few times. Harry licks his lips instinctively, already able to taste the saltiness of Louis’ cock in his mouth, can feel the way it will fill his mouth up so good. 

Harry almost pouts when Louis turns his back to him, sifting through some things, and when he turns back to face him, there’s a rope in his hands. The sight of it sends a wave of electric shocks through Harry’s body and his cock twitches in interest.

“Hands behind your back,” Louis instructs and Harry instantly complies. Louis comes behind him and wraps the rope around his wrists and torso so expertly. It takes Harry back to a time when they were just learning all of this and how determined Louis was about getting the knots just right. Here he is now, about to send Harry under just by tying him up before they really begin to do anything. When Louis checks to make sure Harry is secure and the rope isn’t too tight, he hums approvingly. 

“Okay, good. On the bench.” Louis helps Harry get to his feet, he struggles a little but Louis keeps him from losing his balance guiding him to the bench, bending him over it. 

Harry makes sure to stick his bum out, knowing that they have an audience. He thinks he hears someone choke back a moan and it sends a thrill up Harry’s spine.

“Come around, boys,” Louis instructs. 

There’s shuffling and Harry sees the men come closer in a circle around them, and holy shit. This is really happening. Harry closes his eyes, he can feel his pulse racing, and he tries to calm himself down, not wanting to get so overwhelmed so fast.

When Harry opens his eyes again, he sees Louis with a paddle in his hand. It’s Harry’s favorite— dark wood with an ‘L’ carved out. It makes Harry even more excited that the men watching will get to see the ‘L’ imprinted on his arse, to show them he’s Louis’ and no one else. Harry’s dick is hard and trapped between the bench and his torso and he’s tempted to rub himself on it for some relief, but he stops himself, not wanting to upset Louis.

“You ready to show these men how well you can take a paddle, baby?” Harry doesn’t realize Louis is in front of him until the sound of his voice makes him jump. He can already feel himself starting to slip under. 

Harry fists his hands, tugging at the rope and letting it bite into his skin to keep him grounded, keeping him from slipping away too soon, and nods. “Yes, Daddy.”

Without another word, Louis moves behind him. Harry shuts his eyes, takes a deep breath and lets his body relax, waiting for that first thwack to hit him.

 

**XXX**

 

Louis has been planning this for weeks. From choosing his favorite private room, to talking to a few regulars he trusts, wanting everything to be a great experience for Harry on their anniversary. Now that the day is finally here and Louis has Harry bound in rope and bent over a bench, he feels like he’s in a dream.

Harry is being so good, not that Louis ever doubted it, but getting to have other people see how good Harry is for Louis, it just does something to him he can’t quite explain. Louis holds the paddle in his hand, his grip on it tight. 

Louis’ eyes roam the room at the other men who are already sporting erections in their jeans. Harry did that to them and Louis couldn’t be more proud. Louis discussed with each of them what their roles were going to be in this scene and they are to just watch, get off, but not touch Harry. They can make sounds but they aren’t to address Harry at all. Louis may or may not have thrown in a threat if they were to break the rules, but no one has to know about that.

Louis instructs Harry to count the paddles for him, knowing he’s just on the edge of going under and needs something to focus on. The paddling begins and Louis starts with slow but hard hits, alternating between each cheek, making them a pretty rosy color. When Harry counts to ten, Louis’ speed increases. Harry’s pretty moans resonate throughout the room with each hit and by the time Louis gets to fifty paddles, he feels out of breath.

Louis stops and rubs his hands on Harry’s reddened arse. “You’re doing so good, baby,” he praises. He walks around to face Harry, who is panting with his lip caught in between his teeth. Louis kneels down to be face-to-face with him, to make sure he’s doing okay. Harry is a vision, his hair, which is almost down to his shoulders, is a mess. He has tear stains down his flushed cheeks and his eyes are shiny with unshed tears. 

Louis runs his fingers through Harry’s hair, putting some strands behind his ear. He leans in. “Look at those men. They’re getting off watching you.” Louis watches as Harry’s eyes look over at the men who haven’t moved from their spot but are now with their jeans down at their ankles and their hands on their dicks. Harry preens. Louis caresses Harry’s cheek. “They want you so bad, baby, but they can’t have you because you’re mine.”

As the words tumble out of Louis’ mouth, Harry closes his eyes and groans. Louis’ own hardened cock twitches watching the way his words affect Harry. Louis continues. “Let’s show them who you belong to,” he says, planting a kiss on Harry’s red, bitten lips before standing back up. He can hear Harry whine as he walks over to the other side by Harry’s arse.

Louis kisses each of Harry’s bum cheeks gently, the ‘L’s’ imprinted on his skin never cease to make him want to come right there on the spot. Harry has always loved being marked by Louis, whether that be through love bites or paddles, they both get off on it. 

Louis touches the base of the plug nestled between Harry’s cheeks, pushing it a little bit, and Harry cries out. He pulls it out gently and very slowly, setting it aside once it’s completely out. He doesn’t waste time in shoving his two fingers inside after pouring a bit of lube on them. Harry moans.

“You want to show these people how well you take Daddy’s cock, love?” Louis asks, pausing the movement of his fingers but leaving them inside of Harry.

Harry lifts his head up weakly, nodding eagerly. “Yes, yes, yes,” he chants.

Without another word, Louis lubes himself up and guides himself into Harry easily. Louis grabs a hold of the rope from Harry’s bound hands needing some leverage before he begins fucking into Harry fast and hard. Their hips slam into each other so hard with every thrust that the bench beneath Harry moves but it doesn’t stop Louis from continuing his rhythm.

The noises spilling out of Harry’s mouth could put any porn star to shame and it only encourages Louis to keep going. There are noises coming from the men that are watching them and for a moment, Louis had forgotten that they were being watched, but as soon as they make themselves known, it only makes Harry whine louder.

“Fuck! Yes, yes. Oh, God!” Harry’s voice is almost raspy with how loud he’s being.

“So good, baby,” Louis pants, thrusting in and out of Harry a few more times before he’s coming hard, spilling inside of Harry. It takes Louis a few seconds to gather himself enough to reach over for the plug and put it back into Harry with all of Louis’ come still inside.

“Daddy,” Harry whines. “Need to come, please.”

“On your knees,” Louis orders. He looks at the four men and sees that they seem close to coming. “You aren’t allowed to come before these guys do.”

Louis can see the pout that wants to form on Harry’s lips as he moves on wobbly legs to get on his knees.

“Baby, how would you feel about them coming on your face? Would you like that?” Louis asks.

Harry is nodding before Louis even finishes. “Yes, please. I want that so much.”

“Okay,” Louis tugs at Harry’s hair for a second before gesturing to the other men. “Come closer,” he instructs.

The four men approach Harry, no more than a foot away from him. The first guy comes as soon as Harry looks up at them, looking obscene with his plump red lips and eager eyes. It doesn’t take long before the other guys follow suit, each of them making sure their come splatters on Harry’s face. Harry takes it so well, closing his eyes and whining as he feels the hot liquid land on his face. 

When the men are done, Louis motions for them to move out of the way and he kneels down in front of Harry. Harry opens his eyes and looks at Louis so tenderly, it almost takes his breath away.

“You did so good, baby. Such a good boy for me. The best. I love you so much. You’re amazing and you’re all mine,” and before Louis can say anything else, Harry’s body tenses and he’s coming untouched, shaking so much Louis has to reach out and hold him steady so he doesn’t fall back. Harry’s come spills a little on Louis and it’s one of the hottest things he’s ever gotten to witness.

“Oh, my God,” Louis breathes, awestruck at the sight. He immediately goes to untie Harry from the rope, kissing his wrists and arms as he does. He walks Harry to the bed and cuddles him, praising him for doing so good. Louis runs his hands all over Harry’s body, leaving no part of him untouched, knowing how much his boy loves it, especially after an intense scene like this.

It takes a while but eventually Harry comes back to him, slowly but surely. Louis doesn’t even know how much time has passed but their little audience has stepped out of the room without him noticing.

Harry blinks heavily a few times, the come on his face dried but they’ll worry about cleaning it up once he’s fully back.

“Hey, baby. How are you feeling?” Louis asks gently.

Harry grins. “I’m great. Amazing. That was... fuck. I loved it. Thank you.”

Louis leans in to kiss Harry on the lips, soft and slow. “I love you. Happy anniversary.”

 

**XXX**

 

Harry feels the nerves niggling at the pit of his stomach. He’s been in front of a lot of people before but never like this, so he can’t help the way that his palms sweat at his sides.

The string quartet plays a lovely melody and Harry takes a deep breath, straightening his suit jacket and trying not to mess it up or else Kera will have his head. He watches carefully as people make it down the aisle one by one and into their assigned spot like they did during the rehearsal yesterday. 

As soon as Harry catches sight of Louis, his heart stops. Louis walks down the aisle with practiced ease. He looks ravishing in his double breasted suit that was tailored to fit him perfectly. When Louis catches Harry’s gaze his eyes brighten, unable to contain his smile as he continues trying to walk steadily. Harry tries not to let his emotions get to him, already feeling his bottom lip tremble.

Louis makes it to the front and stands right next to Zayn, taking his spot as the best man. Zayn looks like a mixture of nerves and excitement, as he should. He should consider himself the luckiest man in the world right now, getting to marry Liam. 

It’s finally time for the groom to walk down and everyone waits in anticipation, standing as they watch him take his rightful spot next to Zayn.

“Hello, everyone, please take a seat as we begin this union of love between Zayn Malik and Liam Payne,” Niall begins.

The ceremony continues and Harry has trouble concentrating on anything but Louis. It’s been two years and Harry’s been on a world tour, won a Grammy, and now he’s in the middle of working on his much anticipated second album with One Direction Records. In the midst of all that, Harry can’t imagine doing any of it without Louis. From the very first moment they saw each other, there was something about Louis that Harry knew was special and he couldn’t just shake off. 

Harry tries to focus on the ceremony and when Niall calls for the rings, he scrambles to reach into his pocket and hand Liam Zayn’s ring and he watches Louis do the same. They share a smile between them as they do so. The ceremony is taking place on the beach, with the sun close to setting; it’s a perfect backdrop for a wedding ceremony, in Harry’s opinion. 

Harry can’t help but wonder what his and Louis’ wedding would be like. They’ve had conversations about it but it has always remained a fantasy, and Harry would love to turn it into a reality. Louis is it for Harry and there’s no one else he can imagine spending the rest of his life with.

Harry checks his jacket pocket, feeling the little velvet box for what feels like the millionth time. 

“I now pronounce you husbands. You may now kiss each other,” Niall announces. Everyone claps and Harry focuses again on his friends and their shared happiness. Liam and Zayn look so happy and Harry is glad things worked out for them in the end.

“That was a lovely ceremony, wasn’t it?” Louis’ voice shakes Harry from his thoughts.

Harry offers his arm and Louis gladly puts his through it. “It was.”

“What time is the reception anyway? Do we have time to go home for a quickie? That suit looks amazing on you and I can’t stop thinking about your arse,” Louis tells him.

Harry can’t help but laugh. “You’re ridiculous. And actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to go watch the sunset with me. I know just the spot you’ll love.”

Louis seems to be considering Harry’s offer and Harry would roll his eyes if he could. “Fine. But only if I get to blow you in the car afterwards.”

Harry leans down to kiss Louis on the lips. “Deal.”

Harry leads them down a little private path that will lead them to the perfect spot to watch the sunset, hoping Louis will say yes when he gets down on one knee and asks him to spend the rest of his life with him.


	10. The First Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A closer look into how it all began...
> 
> Song for this chapter- Medicine by Harry Styles :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! 
> 
> I've been wanting to write Harry and Louis' first scene together since I purposefully left it out to build the anticipation, but now that y'all have read the fic (and as a thank you for helping me reach 500 kudos) I decided to go ahead and write it.
> 
> I've been struggling a lot with writer's block lately but I'm happy that I got to finally finish this and I hope you like it! I'm still not sure if I'm going to do an actual epilogue, but I really want to so never say never.
> 
> So, just a refresher. This part takes place right after the beginning of chapter 1 when Harry and Louis first meet at the club. If you haven’t read this fic I suggest starting from the beginning but it’s not really necessary if you don’t want to.
> 
> Enjoy!

Harry feels desperate. 

The tie wrapped tightly around his wrists pinches at his skin as he wriggles on the bed. His eyes follow the gorgeous man’s every move. He’s looking through the different items that are available for them to use, and Harry can’t wait to see what he decides to use for him.

The man hums lightly and takes a couple of things, but the room is too dim for Harry to really make out what it is. Harry holds back a whimper.

“Alright, baby, are you still with me?” Harry sees the man approach the bed and when he finally sees the items in his arms, he wants to die.

Harry nods, but as soon as he sees the man frown he remembers that he needs to use his words. “Ye-yes.”

The man smirks, “Good.” He lays the equipment on the bed, and the cool metal from the spreader bar touches Harry’s skin and he swears he hears it sizzle as soon as it makes contact. “Spread your legs for me, love.”

Harry extends his legs, stretching them out and the man wraps a hand around his left ankle to fasten it to the cuff on the bar, repeating the same motion with his other one. The man tugs on the restraints to make sure they’re secure until he seems satisfied with them. 

“It’s not too tight is it?” The man looks over at Harry with a questioning eyebrow. 

Harry moves his feet, the restraints keeping him in place. His heart races, and he blinks heavily while he shakes his head. “No…’m good.”

The man hums softly and moves away from the bed. Harry feels the anticipation building inside of him. His breathing is becoming more labored the longer he waits.

“You still with me?” The man asks. 

Harry’s static thoughts disappear as he focuses on the man’s face. He has the most gorgeous cheekbones, and the softest looking hair. Harry wishes he could reach out and touch him, feel him under his fingertips. As he’s about to move to do just that the restraints do its job and he’s reminded of what he’s doing. A wave of arousal flows through him and he groans.

“Yes.”

Harry’s eyes get distracted by the blindfold in the man’s hand. The man notices that Harry’s attention has shifted and smiles.

“Would you be okay with being blindfolded?”

Harry is nodding his head before the man even finishes his question. “Please.” He whines, and doesn’t care about how desperate he sounds at this point. He wants to get on with it because he needs the man to touch him.

A soft, airy giggle escapes the man’s lips. “So needy. I like it,” he murmurs as he reaches over the bed to place the blindfold neatly over Harry’s eyes.

Everything goes dark as soon as the blindfold covers his eyes, and Harry tries his best to focus on his breathing. He can feel the man’s stare, and Harry wishes he could see what it looks like. Is he happy with how Harry’s doing? Harry wriggles a little on the bed trying to make sure he’s displayed just right for him.

“I’m going to tease you a little bit. If at any time you want me to stop, use your safeword. Okay?” The man’s voice is no longer soft, it’s more commanding, serious. 

Harry feels his skin tingle. “Okay.”

Nothing happens for a few seconds and Harry can’t hear anything. Just as he’s about to say something, he feels a caress against his skin that feels soft and ticklish at the same time. It isn’t the man’s fingers, though. This sensation is delicate, a gentle graze against his inner thigh. Harry’s body twitches involuntarily and the restraints remind him that he can’t move. He moans as the feeling crawls up his leg to his cock.

“Oh fuck,” Harry breathes out. He bites onto his bottom lip as a way to keep himself grounded and still, as he continues to feel what he could guess is a feather travelling up to his torso and circling around his nipples.

It’s not long before he feels the warmth of the man’s wet mouth who is now straddled to Harry’s hips as he works his tongue from his neck, down to his collarbones. He seems to settle himself there for a while— which Harry has absolutely no problem with— and begins to nibble and suck hard on his skin. Harry yelps in absolute pleasure trying his best not to buck his hips up, wanting to be good. He has no doubt that the man is leaving marks on his chest and he can’t wait to see the reminders of this wonderful night. The pain helps remind Harry that he isn’t dreaming.

After all the teasing Harry could possibly get, the man stops and the blindfold is being removed from his face. The first thing Harry sees is the man’s cherry red lips wet with spit and his gorgeous blue eyes are darker than he remembers. The man climbs off setting the blindfold aside before standing, facing Harry at the end of the bed. The man takes a hold of the bar keeping Harry’s legs separated and in one swift motion his twirls it over, making Harry turn onto his stomach.

Harry grunts, taken by surprise. The man seems to have gotten desperate as Harry listens to his hurried footsteps and some ruffling. When the man returns, Harry hears a bottle of lube being opened and closed and before he knows it the cool feeling of the liquid is being inserted inside of him.

The man’s fingers are the perfect size. Harry loves being fingered, and this man is very good at it. Harry tries not to push back to fuck himself with the man’s fingers and instead bites onto the pillow beneath him as he continues to bask in the feeling of being stretched open.

“I’m going to fuck you now. Okay?”

Harry looks over his shoulder, a couple of tears trail down his cheeks. “Yes. God, please. I want it so much.”

The man doesn’t say anything, instead he grabs a condom and places it expertly around his shaft.

“It’s okay baby. I’ve got you.”

The pet name brings a thrill to Harry that no one has ever brought to him before. Harry hopes and prays that this isn’t the last time he hears from him after tonight.

The man grips onto Harry’s hips placing a pillow beneath his crotch. “No coming until I say so,” he tells Harry.

“Yes, Daddy.”

The man’s breath hitches, seeming to be caught off guard by Harry’s statement, but he recovers and guides himself into Harry until he’s bottomed out.

Harry feels so full he wants to cry at how good it feels to be completely enveloped by this man. He can smell the sweat, he can feel the heat of his body on top of his, and he can hear the way the man is trying to keep his breathing even. Harry knows he isn’t doing any better.

As he moves in and out of him, Harry shuts his eyes tight wanting to savor this feeling, this moment, wanting to remember every single detail. The man moans so beautifully it makes Harry join him as he grips on to the bedsheets. Even though his hands are still tied, the tie has loosened and made it easier for Harry to hold on. The man doesn’t seem to mind and he places his hands on top of Harry’s as he begins to slam into him without abandon.

“You’re. So. Good.” The man grunts with each thrust. Harry is so out of it at this point, he just smiles and whines as he continues to get fucked like there’s no tomorrow.

Harry wants to come so bad. He wanted to come an hour ago. But he can’t give in. He has to be good for this man who has given Harry everything he’s ever wanted.

The man bites into Harry’s shoulder and Harry screams, “Fuck!”

“You can come now, darling. Let me hear you.”

As soon as those words leave the man’s mouth, Harry’s body is shaking and his orgasm makes him see stars. Harry shouts and his eyes roll back as his head hits the pillow and everything goes fuzzy.

 

-

 

Louis isn’t new to the scene at all, but what he just experienced is short of magical. He pants against the beautiful man’s back, still trying to recover from his mind blowing orgasm. 

Seeing the way the man came made Louis’ own orgasm follow. He slowly pulls out, making sure to dispose of the condom. The man is motionless on the bed and Louis can hear him catching his breath. He removes the tie from the man’s wrists, since it was basically falling off, but he decides to wait until the man is fully conscious before removing the cuffs from the spreader bar attached to his ankles.

Louis hurries to grab some water and crackers before climbing back on the bed to make sure the young man is okay. Louis moves some of the hair out of the man’s face to get a better look at him. His cheeks are flushed, sweat is trickling down his forehead and his eyes are closed which is a shame because he really loves the shade of green his eyes have.

“Are you with me, darling?”

Louis doesn’t get much of a response, just a bit of a mumble but nothing else. He combs his fingers through the man’s soft, unruly hair to try and get him back. 

Even though they didn’t play too hard, Louis guesses the man hasn’t had a lot of experience in this, so he’s giving him all the time he needs to recover, just like any good dom should. Louis is tempted to kiss the man, to help him along, but he stops himself before he can. 

_ This is a one night stand _ , he reminds himself.  _ You’ll never see this man again.  _

It’s never been hard for Louis to follow his own rules, but somehow it feels a lot harder this time around and he doesn’t know why. Before he can think himself to death, the man stirs and blinks his eyes open until they focus on Louis. His eyes are still a bit glassy and his eyebrows furrow in the cutest way, and Louis tries not to smile like a lunatic.

“Welcome back, love.” The man still seems a bit out of it, so Louis gives him time. He opens the water bottle and reaches over to him, “Here. Drink up.”

The man takes the water gratefully, and he also takes some crackers without protest. He isn’t making it any easier for Louis to forget him after tonight. After a while, the man seems to be completely back to himself.

“Are you okay if I take the restraints off now?” Louis asks.

The man looks at the equipment still attached to him before nodding. “Yes. Thank you.”

Louis hops off the bed and works on unlocking the cuffs from each ankle, making sure to rub on the faint marks left behind on the man’s skin. Louis places the equipment back where it belongs and works on retrieving his clothing. 

The man is still laying on the bed, watching Louis dress and for a moment, Louis can picture a different scenario where they’re in Louis’ bed and he’s getting ready to go to work but he doesn’t really want to go because he has this beautiful person that makes it hard to leave the house.

He quickly shakes those thoughts away. Instead, he says. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” Louis is nothing but a gentleman in these types of situations.

The man looks like he wants to say something, Louis can see it in his eyes, and he almost wants him to say it. He wants him to ask when he’ll see him again, just as much as Louis wants to ask for his number so that he can text him and maybe set things up to meet again. But he knows better than to do that, so instead, he puts on his shoes before he approaches the bed.

“It was nice to meet you. Have a good night.”

Before he can do anything rash, Louis turns toward the door and leaves. He thinks he hears the man’s voice, but he doesn’t stop to check. Louis doesn’t have time for any attachments. His life is about to get busier than ever starting on Monday, and he can’t commit to anything else. He only hopes that he will cross paths with the man someday if fate will allow it. 

But Louis doesn’t believe in fate.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you want to reblog the [fic post](https://dimpled-halo.tumblr.com/post/171918347148/crave-the-first-scene-2k-by-dimpledhalo-harry) on tumblr I'll love you forever.
> 
> I also want to thank Molly for taking a look at this for me and finally, I want to thank the author of [this fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13900422) that inspired me to finish this scene. Please read it if you haven't already!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and Kudos are appreciated more than you'll ever know.
> 
> Come talk to me on [tumblr.](http://dimpled-halo.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can reblog the fic post [here.](https://dimpled-halo.tumblr.com/post/169581183178/crave-by-dimpledhalo-chapters-99-words-87154)


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